The Trek (Book 2 of The Call series)
by LetsAimPastTheSky1
Summary: Leo now trapped by his growing feelings for Lexi, and unable to share them, finds himself living every passing day in fear that he'll never get to tell her how he feels. With this, the King Family finds themselves right in the middle of danger. Book 2 of The Call Series instigates the series of events that transpire leading fear to be overcome and strength to be ignited.
1. Lists, Love & Leo's Letter

"Do you need anything else?" I ask, sliding my purse over my shoulder. "Is that all that's on the list?"

"Is that _all_?" Benj asks, flabbergasted. "That list is like three pages long!"

"That's it," Mom says. She shoots me a smile. "I don't want you to be _too_ late for work."

"Why does Lexi always get to be late for work," Benj begins, crossing his arms, "but if _we're_ late, we get in trouble?"

"Lexi's the oldest," Mom responds. "Come on, children. Let's go." She pushes my brother and sister out of the apartment.

They've taken the car, so I take the fifteen minute journey by foot.

In the beautiful May afternoon, flowers are blooming and birds sing to each other. I head through the park, which is a scenic route I like to take.

"Lexi!" Noah.

I smile and turn towards the call. My brown haired friend is jogging over towards me, wearing jeans and a striped dark blue and white shirt.

I laugh. "Are you stalking me?"

"No." He pauses. "I was taking a walk and I saw you. So what are you doing out here on a lovely spring afternoon with nothing but your purse and that grocery list to keep you company?" he asks.

I snort. "You basically just answered your own question." I show him the list.

"Can I shop with you?" he asks. I laugh. Noah wants to do the most boring task in the world with me: grocery shopping. He hasn't changed a bit.

"Knock yourself out," I say.

"Literally or figuratively?"

"You choose," I respond, looking down at the grocery list.

"You really think I'd choose literally?" he exclaims. I don't even glance up at him before I head for the fruit section.

"To prove a point, probably." I pick up a few apples. I turn to get a bag for them, but my eyes widen to see Noah holding out a bag for me. "Overachiever..." I drop them in anyway.

"So how've things been? What's California like nowadays?" I ask.

"Nothing's really changed much. Yet at the same time, everything has."

"Okay well start with what _hasn't_ changed," I say.

"Well, the sun still comes up everyday. It's still super hot in the summer and chilly in the winter. There's still a beach just down the street and that beach still has an ocean and a lifeguard-"

"Okay," I laugh. "Is there anything besides the geographic expectations that haven't changed?"

"Not really," he admits sheepishly.

He tells me about the people back home, and old friends of ours. I ask him about his family, and his face lights up when he talks about his sisters and how proud of them he is.

I smile. I love it when guys love to talk about their family. That's one of the reasons I love Leo.

Shoot. Leo. He was going to tell me something!

I inwardly groan, and try not to show that my mind is somewhere else. He must think I'm the biggest jerk out there! He had started to tell me something like four times, and got interrupted each time. And to be honest, the only reason I really, really wanted to know was because a small, desperate part of me really hopes that he was going to tell me that he feels the exact same way that I feel about him.

But why would he feel the same way? Especially after what happened last night? I remember that I haven't read his letter either. I truly am the world's biggest jerk.

After we finish shopping, I realize that it's going to be difficult to get home with all these things, walking.

An angel of a car horn gets our attention. I turn and see that it's April.

"Need a ride?" she asks, looking amused. "You look lost."

"Yes please." Noah and I both get in the car. He's not a complete stranger to her. I mean, April was at the party so she witnessed Noah's surprise visit.

She drives us to the apartment complex, and then just because I'm afraid of being even more late to work, I trust Noah with the key to the apartment so he can bring the groceries in. While April drives me to my work, she asks me a question that catches me off guard.

"Were you and Noah ever in a relationship?"

"No," I sputter, almost quick enough to seem guilty. "Just friends."

"Did you ever have a crush on him?"

"Nope."

"Did he ever like you?"

"Nah."

"Wow..." April mumbles. "Impressive."

I laugh. "Believe me, when you've watched each other go through puberty and get hit in the face with dodge balls, it's hard to be attracted to them like that."

* * *

"So there was a malfunction?" I ask, investigating the bottle full of bluish-green substance.

"It wasn't really a malfunction. Just a mistake. I don't know how but we accidentally poured the wrong reverse substance into it. Now, it's a larger, more hazardous chemical," Dr. Faulkner explains. He looks ashamed.

It's rare for Dr. Faulkner to say that he doesn't know what was going on—he typically always has a rational answer for everything. But there is no possible rational answer for this: either somebody accidentally put in the wrong chemical…or it was done intentionally. And just the thought that we have a traitor in the midst frightens me.

"Do we know who it was?" Rose asks. Whoever it was had ruined all chances of finding a cure, and caused us to start over the entire process. We now need to go out and wait for another bit of substance to be transported. The lab workers had mailed out the results to the public labs around NYC but the papers were lost and never reached the labs.

"No," Dr. Faulkner says. "We have no idea."

"We need to find them!" I exclaim, shaking my head. "There's no other option."

"There _are_ other options," Mom disagrees, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Whoever did this isn't going to quit. We need to focus on working hard to get another cure now."

"But all the papers were lost in the mail," Benj reminds, crossing his arms. "We'll have to start all over."

Mom nods once. "Then that's what we'll do. We aren't going to give up just because we lost the results. Now I want you to go back to your desks. We'll figure it out." That's our dismissal. I bite my lip and watch my mom leave, composed.

"Lexi?" Rose asks, and I turn towards my younger sister. "Why do you think someone would do something like that?"

I pause all my movement. I don't know. But I can't tell her that. I'm sick and tired of hearing "I don't know". Aren't adults supposed to have all the answers? Then the thought hits me.

I _am_ the adult now. I'm eighteen. My siblings and younger students are going to be asking me for the answers, expecting me to know. But I don't know.

"Sometimes people don't want to see us help people. They don't want others to be happy," I explain quietly.

"But we worked so hard..." she mumbles, shaking her head. "I don't understand."

"Bad people do bad things." But the scary part is that I don't know that this person is bad. It could be someone we love. And someone we think loves us.

* * *

"So...what was he like? If you don't mind me asking."

"It's alright," I say, but it isn't really. I've always found it difficult to talk abut Tristan. "He was probably one of the best boyfriends ever. Which is kind of stupid to say since he was my _only_ boyfriend."

"I'm still surprised about that," April admits, as we approach the sewer lid.

"I'm not," I snort, shaking my head. "Guys are usually attracted to my sister more than they are to me."

"That's not true," April points out. "I think Rose attracts different kinds of guys." I'm about to disagree with her, but then I realize she's right. The kinds of guys who like Rose are a lot different than the ones who like me.

"I guess," I agree slowly. "But Rose pretty much attracts a variety of guys. It's hard not to stop and stare. She's gorgeous." Through the darkness, I see April give me a look. "Don't worry, no self-deprecation here. Just stating facts."

"What kind of guys do you attract?"

I laugh. "I get the ones that are really close friends. Like guy friends."

"And you're sure Noah wasn't one of them?"

I sigh. "April, Noah isn't into me like that. And I'm not into Noah. Simple."

"When was the last time you verified on his part?" When I don't say anything, she nudges me and through the dim light, I can see a smile on her face. "Come on, Lexi. When was the last time you two actually talked about possible feelings?"

After a long, hesitant pause, I let out a sigh and shrug.

"7th grade..."

"Things can change in a space of six years," April warns. "Don't be surprised if he asks you out."

"We've been on dates before..." I inform, crossing my arms. "We used to see movies together when we were kids."

"Not _that_ kind of date," she says. "I mean 'fancy dinner and a kiss' kind of date."

I roll my eyes. "Not gonna happen."

"Are you seriously telling me you've never had romantic feelings for him? Not ever?" April verifies. " _Ever_?"

I bite my lip as we near the end of the sewer.

"He was my first kiss. That's it. It wasn't even really a kiss," I add quickly, reaching over to pull the pipe to open the wall. But before I can, April stops me.

"He was your first kiss?" she exclaims. "That's the kind of romantic thing I'm talking about! You've been denying it!"

"There were no romantic feelings!"

"Then why did you two kiss?" she asks quizzically, putting a hand on her hip.

"It was my last day in California. I know we were like, twelve, but where I lived, a lot of our friends had already had their first kiss. He and I both knew we'd never kissed anyone so we decided to be each other's. It wasn't a big deal. It was like two seconds. Not even as long as my mistletoe kiss with Leo."

"But it's still a kiss!" she exclaims. "And you haven't spoken to him since that day?" I shake my head. "Then something could've happened with his feelings!"

"It doesn't matter, April. You know I love Leo." I finally pull the pipe before she can object. I walk through, wanting to be done with the conversation.

But April isn't.

"I know that," she presses. "But you need to at least confront him about something that you may be denying."

"I'm not going to confront him about something that isn't even true! This is what _you_ want!"

"This isn't what _I_ want; it's what _he_ wants!"

I groan. "Well it isn't what _I_ want!" I slouch into the cushion of the couch.

"What're ya arguin' about? Ya usually get along just fine," Raph starts, taking a seat by me.

"We're not fighting. We're just...arguing about something," I say, starting into the television.

"It's obvious Noah likes Lexi but she's too stubborn to admit it," April explains.

I groan.

Mikey pauses his video game and turns to the rest of us. He props himself up on his elbows and grins.

"Ooh...are we talkin' about love?" he coos. "I wanna join!"

"He doesn't like me! He and I have been over this!" I groan.

"Yeah, six _years_ ago!"

I flip through the channels, and find Animal Planet. Monsters Inside Me is on. I lean forward slightly as I listen to the terrifying stories of the viruses and bugs that have managed to attack. After about fifteen minutes of watching it, Mikey is covering his eyes and whining.

"Turn it off...turn it off..." he whimpers, squeezing his eyes shut.

I laugh. "Alright, ya big baby." I switch the channel to Investigation Discovery.

"Of course..." Raph mutters.

"Hey," I warn. "You can leave if you want."

"This is my home! I can leave whenever I want," he defends, crossing his arms.

I stare at him. "That's what I just said."

He's silent. A pillow comes flying through the air at me.

I laugh. We watch tv for a little while, until their father appears in the doorway.

"My son," Master Splinter says. "It is time to be off to bed. You will be having training earlier tomorrow than usual." He smiles at April and I. "We have been delighted to have you over."

We say goodnight to the turtles. I try to find Leo's eyes, but he simply gives me a wave and heads off to his room. I try not to show my hurt when he doesn't even look back. April doesn't seem to notice.

"Let's get you home, girlie."

"Right," I say, following April out of the lair, leaving behind the life that has gone to bed.

* * *

My hands take hold of a long, well-written paper: Leo's letter.

 _Dear Lexi,_

 _First off, I would just like to tell you happy 18th birthday. I remember my 18th birthday. April and Casey had gone the extra mile and gotten us a really good cake and everything. Of course, Mikey being, well, Mikey, he managed to knock the cake over. It landed on my Splinter and let's say that didn't end so well. So I'm hoping he won't do that to your birthday cake._

 _You always somehow make everyone feel included. And I guess sometimes I feel upset that I have to share my friendship with you with my brothers. You aren't going to spend your time with one single person (even though obviously I am your best friend... Just saying). You always manage to spend equal time with everyone and make everyone feel included._

 _I know this is probably really awkwardly written and I'm sorry. Next time will be better. There are so many things I'd like to tell you, but I guess that can wait. Because I promise that this friendship will be a long lasting friendship. You're too amazing of a girl to pass up an opportunity to know. You're too special to me._

 _I hope you have the best 18th birthday ever. Remember how smart, thoughtful and beautiful you are. You've been the best friend to me and I hope I've been able to return the favor._

 _Love,_

 _Leo_

 **A/N: Welcome to chapter one of the second book of the series! Things might be confusing if you haven't read the first, so again, i recommend reading that ^.^' thank you so much for reading this!(: I always appreciate it so much!**


	2. Dragon Trouble

"Wait...so you just jumped out of the car?"

"Yeah. I wasn't gonna tell them I was leaving because that wouldn't be very mysterious," Noah explains casually. I shake my head in disbelief and swallow a sip of my strawberry smoothie.

"And jumping out of the car is _so_ much more mysterious," I say, sarcasm dripping.

He looks defensive. "It is! When you mysteriously leave a crowded place, people are like, 'Whoa...where'd he go?'"

"Well a car isn't exactly a mysterious place! People aren't going to be wondering where you went; they're going to be wondering what it wrong with you and where they need to hide your body _if_ they can find it," I point out.

"You're just jealous."

"Yeah," I say. "I'm so jealous of you ability to do stupid things and still be alive." I toss my empty smoothie cup into the trash. "No thanks. I choose life."

It's been a little over a week since Noah had come up here to New York. And since then, we've spent a lot of our time together when I don't have work, school or when I'm not hanging with the turtles or Mal.

I even find myself spending more time with Noah than I am with Leo. I love Leo, but I can never find the guts to say no when Noah asks to hang out. Without a doubt, I know my bond with Leo is slowly but surely falling apart. And I want more than anything to stop that from happening.

"Well," I say, shrugging and standing up. "I'd better head off to work now."

"I can walk you there. I'd kind of like to know where my best friend works," he offers. I pause. I hope my sudden halt isn't too obvious.

Noah doesn't know about the other half of my life. He doesn't know why we moved to New York. He doesn't know about the Headquarters and he definitely doesn't know about the turtles. I know I can't risk telling him any of that. For his safety, and for our own.

"It's alright," I decline.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. I'll see ya later."

"See ya. Maybe I can join Recluse Day like the old days?" Noah suggests with a smile.

I chuckle and shrug. "Maybe." But as I walk out of the Smoothie Shop, I find myself shaking my head. I would feel like I was betraying Leo if Noah joined. Leo has been to almost every single Recluse Day since we met the turtles. And I really don't want to seem like I'm using Noah to replace him.

I enter the Headquarters and find my desk, piled high with papers. I notice they're profile reports.

After getting to the fourth report, I look up to find a turtle I recognize: Leo. He's standing right next to Don and Dr. Faulkner.

We've tried all we can to find what chemicals before we got so near to finding a cure, but so far, no success. It's like Leo feels me staring, because he looks over and locks eyes with me. My stomach and I am the first one to do something. I lift up my hand, waving him forward.

He casually strolls over to my desk.

"What are you doing?" Leo asks.

"Currently doing Profile Reports," I answer.

He looks confused, so I try to elaborate.

"Alright, so basically these are stacks of paper."

"I can see that."

"Well in the print of these stacks of paper are words."

"Words," Leo repeats, scrunching his forehead like he's thinking. "I've heard of them..."

I feel a laugh tickle my throat, but I swallow it down.

"These words have different people from different gangs. We find their age, height and sometimes their past."

"Isn't that kind of personal?" Leo asks curiously.

"It is," I admit. "I felt bad at first. I mean, I know I would hate it if people were making notes of my every move. Even though it _was_ my childhood dream for people to follow me around and take pictures and videos of my best moments."

Leo laughs. "I thought your childhood dream was to find a chocolate bar the size of your head. What happened to that one?"

"That is now a goal," I inform. "Come on, Leo, keep up with me here."

"Well that's kind of hard to do when you're avoiding me." His voice is still light but I know there's truth behind it. Lot's of truth. Maybe all truth, carefully masked with humor. But I know Leo better than that.

"Leo," I say, trying to look into his eyes, which he keeps averting. "You know I would never try to avoid you. Ever." I pause. "But Noah came all the way down to New York and found me. He took time to literally track me down." I laugh a little. "Creepy a little, but really nice."

Leo is hesitant to respond. But when he does, he looks into my eyes. My stomach flips.

"I understand, Lexi. You can spend as much time with Noah as you want. I can't do anything about it," he says softly.

I raise my eyebrows and briefly put a hand on his. "You _can_ do something about it. If you feel like I'm not spending enough time with you and your brothers, tell me. Because you're my best friend, Leo."

He looks curious. "I thought Noah was your best friend..."

"We used to be," I say. "I mean, we've known each other since Kindergarten." I pause. "But a lot can change through the years. Especially when I meet four mutant turtles and their mutated rat father."

Leo chuckles and slightly nods. "Gotcha..." He looks at the reports. "So what determines what's on the paper?"

"How well they hide," I answer. "If their bios are super long, it means that really need to work on hiding from us more. Either that, or they're really proud of who they are. We've gotten a lot of that." I put one of the Reports down. "Like the MAD Boyz."

"The MAD Boyz?" Leo asks, raising an eye ridge. "What is that like some kind of dance team?"

I laugh. "A newer gang around here."

He nods, his smile relaxing. "Have you ever gotten a report from someone you knew?"

I pause. "Yeah," I say quietly. "Once I got one on my ex."

"Tristan?" He and I have talked about Tristan only once or twice, so I'm surprised that he remembers his name. I shrug, but nod at his guess. I don't elaborate though. I'm glad that he seems awkward talking about it too; he swiftly switches the topic.

"How are you guys doing on finding another cure? Any luck?"

"Hardly," I mutter, shaking my head. I'm still upset and frankly angry that someone had destroyed the cure we were working on, and hadn't spoken up about it.

"You guys will figure everything out," Leo says. "You always do."

 **LEO'S POV:**

"How'd your little talk with Lexi go?" Mikey drags, grinning as he passes by me.

I'm sitting on the couch, watching the news with Splinter. I've noticed that ever since I shared with my family how I felt about Lexi, we've been spending more time together as a family. Splinter spends less time meditating and more time with us, Raph stays out of his room longer, and Don has moved his work to the front room, unless he's working on something super important.

"If you must know, it went fine," I respond calmly.

"I'm surprised you haven't told her yet," Donnie mutters, screwing in a part for the Surround Sound he's installing.

"I don't blame him," Raph says, crossing his arms. "She's been hangin' around that Noah kid too much."

"Raph," I say evenly. "There's nothing wrong with Noah. He came all the way from California. I don't expect her to ignore him. She's embracing an old friendship."

"Who would want an old friendship when you can spend all your time with four, cool turtles?" Mikey exclaims, taking a bite of pizza.

There's a pause.

"Any sane person," Don answers, staring at our younger brother.

"And are you seriously defendin' the guy?" Raph asks. "Aren't you at least a little bit angry?"

"No," I say, but I hesitate before answering. "I know she doesn't like him like that."

"Raphael, Leonardo is being very wise to not let anger overcome his friendship with Alexandra. It's best we leave this alone," Splinter says, looking at Raph.

Raph mutters something, but then looks up. "Yes, Sensei..."

* * *

"Leonardo, I'd like you to take your brothers up for training. You all need your air for tonight," Splinter insists.

I inwardly sigh, but don't object. "Yes, Master."

"This is stupid," Raph mutters. "We already got our training with the famous Tatsuo at four in the morning! We don't needa train up here too!"

"Think about it, Raph..." Mikey begins. "We might run into your buddies the Purple Dragons and you'll get to bust some heads."

"I do like bustin' heads," Raph mumbles. He looks up. "Alright. But if we don't get any action in the next hour, I'm leavin'."

"Deal," I agree, not looking at my brother, but around the city. "We gotta look out though. From what Lexi has been telling me, the Foot and Dragons have been out a lot more often. And more dangerous too."

"Dangerous for us or dangerous for each other?" Mikey asks.

"Both," I say. "Apparently they've been really angry at each other lately. Like, _really_ angry. We don't know why."

"Shouldn't we be figuring out what their problem is instead of jumping in?" Don asks, crossing his arms.

"I don't see why we can't investigate while bustin' heads," Raph says, punching his palm. "The more, the merrier."

"No," I say firmly. "We aren't going to just burst in if we see something happening. We're ninjas, in case you've forgotten. We use stealth."

"Leo, don't be so-"

"Hey guys, shut up for a minute. I think I see something," Donnie says.

My eyes follow his. From afar, we can see a group of men in a suspicious-looking circle. If you look closely enough, you can see identical tattoos etched in their arms. Purple Dragons.

"What are they doing?" Raph asks.

"Maybe they're doing that thing—what's it called—when you sit in a circle and try to talk to ghosts?" Mikey asks, and Don sighs. He shakes his head slightly and rolls his eyes at our youngest brother.

"A seance? They aren't doing that, Mikey!" he exclaims, with a hint of exasperation. "Why would they be having a seance?" He leans closer. "I think they're cornering someone..."

Raph laughs darkly and pulls out his sai. He smirks. "Alright! Finally: an excuse to fight!" But before he can pop up, I grab his arm and pull him back down. He shrugs out of my grip and glares.

"What's your problem, Leo?"

I ignore his question, and just watching the Dragons.

"Dudes, check it out: they're backing away. Now we can see what was so interesting," Mikey says.

The Purple Dragons continue to back away, and I feel myself grow tense when I see who is in Hun's grip: Noah McDaniel.

"Hey, I recognize that guy from somewhere," Don begins, but I cut him off.

"It's Noah," I say quiet but firm.

"How'd ya recognize him?" Raph asks, surprised. "We've seen him once!"

"Once was enough for me..." I mutter, setting my jaw. "They must've kidnapped him. I doubt he waltzed onto the roof on his own."

"What are we waiting for then? Time to bust some heads?" Raph asks, twirling his sai.

I don't object this time. "Time to bust some heads."

Raph goes at them first-no stealth at all-knocking over Hun. Hun falls to the cement of the rooftops, and it takes him a while to realize what has happened. In an instant, Raph and Hun are fighting. Raph punches Hun in the stomach, and Hun grabs Raph by the arm and tosses him to the side. He storms towards Donnie and yanks his bo staff out of his hands. Before Don can stop him, Hun breaks the staff into too pieces and tosses the remains over the building.

"Why is it always _my_ weapon that gets tampered with?" he shrieks, anger and humiliation stinging his facial expressions.

"Well for starters," Raph says, grunting as he tosses two Purple Dragons to the edge. "Your weapon is a stick. No offense, but it look like something you'd pull out of a dumpster."

Mikey grins and slaps some Dragons with his nunchucks. "I always think of Donnie when I see a trash can."

"Thanks guys," Don says. "That feels great."

"Don't mention it, smart guy," Raph responds, motioning his head to the side. "Now if you're so defenseless, go help out McDaniel over there."

A few Dragons that are lucky enough to be carrying knives throw their weapons at us. That action surprises me. As a ninja, we are taught never to throw our weapons. But the Purple Dragons aren't ninjas. They aren't technically trained at all. They just fight because they have anger inside them that they want to do something about. They're like Raph, only they have no professional training.

"Uh...guys..." Mikey calls, ducking two Dragons. "When are we planning on falling back? I think they're multiplying."

I look over and see that Don has already managed to get Noah off the building. So I decide it's safe to turn back. Tossing a smoke pellet, I hop off the rooftops, and hope my brothers take the hint. They do.

"Don, take Noah behind that dumpster. Hurry. Raph, Mikey, get over here now. They aren't going to give up looking and we don't have time to get back to the lair." My brothers finally follow my orders and we get behind the large, green dumpster. Just in time too. As soon as I'd stepped behind it, I hear the grunts and curses of the Dragons.

"We lost 'em!" One shouts. "Ya idiots, we let 'em get away!"

"They threw a smoke bomb," one with a heavy Brooklyn accent points out.

"I wouldn't care if they'd gotten on a plane and taken off, you still coulda got them! Those turtles are part of this too!" Hun's booming voice shouts. "You're all failures! We can't have failures here. We're against the Foot Clan!"

"Hun, the Foot ain't ever gonna be better than us," one says.

"You fool! You're too confident for your own good!" There's a silence and then the sound of a sword. I hold my breath and try not to gasp. Had Hun just killed someone? Shocking waves of shivers are sent down my spine. Another cold-blooded murder from another unsuspected.

"Do we have anymore objections?" But it's no question. It's a challenge. And one that nobody takes. "Good. We will find this friend of Alexandra King." Soon enough, they've gone.

I turn to my brothers. "Let's get down to the lair where it's safe."

"How do you know my name? I heard you say my name. Why do you know my name? I don't know you! What are you? Who are you?" Noah babbles.

"Don't go yellin' at us! We just saved your butt; you should be thanking us," Raph says, crossing his arms. I notice Donnie has a grip on Noah's arm, so he can't turn loose. We can't have him telling the world about us. I'm still trying to brainstorm on how we'll tell Lexi.

"Pretend you're in my place right now," Noah begins. His voice is trembling. "I was just kidnapped by these huge guys with matching tattoos who started questioning me about my entire life. Then, these green things begin fighting them with weapons; and to top it all off, I just heard a man get killed for being confident." He shakes his head, trying to back away from us. "Is this normal in New York? Because if it is, I'm taking my plane ticket back and getting out of here."

"Please calm down," I plead. "All you need to know right now is that we're friends with Lexi."

"How do you know Lexi's name?"

"He just said we're friends with her!" Raph exclaims. "Why don't ya trust us?"

"Oh well I don't know," he says sarcastically. "I just think that the average person wouldn't be very open to the home of green talking aliens armed with weapons!"

"I'll show you what a weapon is," Raph growls, pressing forward, but I put my hand in front of him.

"Raph," I warn. I turn back to Noah. "Look, what would make you feel more comfortable?"

"Make this purple guy let me go."

"That ain't gonna happen, buddy. What'da ya want? To call Lexi?" Raph asks.

I sigh. "Raph, it's almost midnight." But Noah crosses his arms. The look on his face is clear: he isn't following us until we call our mutual friend. "Fine; call her quickly!" He fishes out his cell phone and dials the number. I can tell he's trying to avoid our eyes.

"Lexi," he says. "Do you know aliens?" Silence. "You'll never believe it! I don't even believe it. It's irrational! They just saved me from these guys with tattoos but now they aren't letting me go, and they tried to force me down to their house but I'm not going to go with them but I'm curious about how they know you and I'm just really concerned because none of this makes sense."

Raph groans and Mikey snickers.

"How many people know about us that shouldn't?" I ask bitterly. It's meant as a rhetorical question, and my brothers don't answer. After a few moments, Noah puts his phone away. He looks at us wearily.

"She yelled at me for being out late at night," he begins. "But then she told me I can trust you guys."

"May we escort you then?" Raph asks, not even trying to push the annoyance out of his voice.

I sigh. I can't imagine what Lexi will have to say...

* * *

"And _you_ , Noah!" Lexi exclaims, pointing at him. "I warned you countless times how dangerous New York City is at night. But did you listen to me? No! You woke me up at midnight to tell me that you didn't trust the people who saved your life and knew my name and all this impossible information about me! You still called me because you're too stubborn and wouldn't even let them give you proper hospitality until you could wake me up!"

She then turns sharply to my brothers and I.

"And you _idiots_! You were there to save him!"

"Why are ya yelling at us about that?" Raph asks. "If it weren't for us, this kid would've been killed."

"I was woken up just to come down to the lair because this idiot had to follow the 'don't talk to strangers' rule," she grows, glaring at Raph. "I can yell at whoever I want, whenever I want, for whatever I want."

Raph holds up his hands in surrender. "Carry on..."

"Noah, you really couldn't have waited until tomorrow to talk to me about this? I didn't have the easiest day. I needed that sleep." She crosses her arms. "What am I going to do with you?"

"What am _I_ going to do with _you_?" Noah asks, crossing his arms as well. "You're friends with these...mutant things, and you didn't plan on telling me?" He scoffs. "This is crazy! I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm not surprised you'd be involved in something like this-"

"Something like this?" Lexi repeats, glaring at him. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

"Well clearly they're dangerous," Noah defends. "You have to admit that being connected to them puts you and your family in danger."

"Are you kidding me? Knowing _me_ puts _them_ in danger!" she exclaims, but from the look on her face, I know she regrets it. It's a sworn rule to remain confidentiality in the HUA, unless permitted.

"How could it put them in danger?" Noah asks.

I watch her bite her lip in regret. "That doesn't matter right now..."

"Are you in danger? I can help, Lex." He doesn't know who he's up against.

"We should take Noah back home," I interrupt. "We can all talk about this more later."

Noah looks suspicious. "Why can't we talk about it now?" That question earns a whack from Lexi.

"Because I'm tired, you dummy!" she exclaims. "I gotta get outta here. Leo, come with me." I don't object her order. Even though she's exhausted and not the cheeriest right now, I don't care. Any condition of the girl I love is still worth loving.

"Lexi...you said that Noah is really smart, right?" I begin, as we near the end of the sewer. I lift up the lid and climb out, holding out my hand for her. Her warm hand encloses into mine for a brief five seconds as I help her out. As soon as we are walking down the street, I miss the absence of her hand against mine.

"Yeah."

"Well..." I begin. "I don't know...do you think maybe-"

"I can ask Serena if I can tell him?" she finishes, glancing over at me. For a few moments, I see something other than the grouchy Lexi who was woken up in the middle of the night. Her eyes sit soft with thought. "I don't know yet, Leo. I know he'd be a big help."

"I think Noah will need a little longer to feel comfortable around us," I say. "I mean, we did kind of hold him captive and try to force him into our home."

"But your intentions were good. I'm sure he felt very grateful."

"I was thinking enraged or infuriated..." I mutter.

Lexi whacks my arm softly. "He's a good guy, Leo. You'll end up liking him a lot; I promise." But what's sad is that I know that she can't keep that promise. Because I unintentionally envied him the second he walked through those doors on Lexi's birthday.

When we get to her window, she turns to me and says, "Goodnight, Leo. Thanks for walking with me." And before I can even respond, she's disappeared through the hallway and into her bedroom without another word.

 **A/N: And here we have Noah McDaniel reacting like a normal person would. I know he seemed like he was being super extra but believe me, if the ninja turtles weren't a thing, and you saw them, you'd probably react similarly. It isn't something you see everyday.**

 **I can't make the same promise Lexi made about you eventually liking Noah, but I can promise that he is a good guy! Personally, I think he's awesome guy - you'll get used to him. And I know that you might not like Lexi a ton right now because it seems like she's pushing Leo away but that will be fixed soon! Nothing can keep them apart for ever!**

 **Thank you, my beautiful readers!**


	3. Stiches

"Okay, I think I have this down," Noah says, nodding. "Thank you...Doctor Faulkner?"

"You're welcome," the scientist smiles. "I'm eager to have another intelligent young mind in the lab. I'm sure you and Donatello will get along just fine."

When he takes off, I turn to Noah. "So what exactly do you think of all this?"

He shakes his head. "It's still crazy. But I think I've got it for now. It really isn't hard to understand once I get past the fact that your best friends are mutated turtles and for the last ten years, you've been in a secret agency that spies on ninjas and gangs."

I laugh. "Glad you've got it all down. So what do you think of the guys?"

"You mean the turtles? They're cool. They all seem fine; but that Ralph guy needs anger management."

I snort. "It's Raph."

"I'll need time with the names. But that Donatello and I will for sure get along," Noah says.

"You and Don are for sure gonna click," I agree. "You both speak science and practically breathe inventions."

"That's always good when I can find another person who breathes inventions instead of oxygen," Noah jokes.

I slide some folders into Serena's mailbox, and feel my phone buzz in my pocket.

When I take it out, I see it's Leo.

"Someone special?" Noah asks, and I quickly realize I've been smiling. I look up at Noah and see something in his face I don't understand. I blush a little and shake my head.

"Uh...no. No, it's just Leo. He's one of the turtles," I stumble. He nods and the look disappears from his face.

"Well good." I pretend to ignore that. What does he mean?

"I'm gonna answer it, just in case it's an emergency." But that isn't the real reason. I'm answering because whether Noah knows it or not, Leo _is_ someone special. And I am done blowing him off like this.

Without even waiting for a reply from Noah, I wave and answer the phone. I hurry away.

"What's up, Leo?"

"Hey...sorry for calling during work. I just wanted to know how everything was going. Does Noah understand everything? Is he doing okay?"

I smile at his concern. "He's doing fine. He's gotten the hang of things so far."

"Well that's good. I guess I should let you get back to work now. Uh...bye, Lex." My heart almost stops.

"Wait!" I exclaim. "Are you still there?"

"Yes?"

"Hey," I begin, trying to keep my voice the least awkward I can. "How would you like to come over and watch a movie? Just you and me. I can ask my mom if I can leave work early. I feel like I haven't talked to you in forever." Just the sound of being next to Leo makes me smile.

"Are you sure your mom would let you do that?" he asks.

"I'm sure she'll let me. Please? I really wanna spend time with you," I plead.

Leo chuckles. "Well...okay. I'd love to." His acceptance warms my heart.

To my surprise, it doesn't take much convincing for Mom to say yes.

I skip about two stairs each as I head up the steps to the apartment. I throw my hair up in a bun and take out the many movies we have and spread them out. I hear a soft knock at the window. I unlatch the window and he hops in.

In a way, he looks...different. His facial expression isn't as rough as it has been as of late. I smile and embrace him. He slides his arms around me and doesn't pull away. After a bit, I pull away and look into his rich, hazel eyes.

"I've missed you so much, Leo," I say softly.

He smiles. "I've missed you even more."

"You wanna do the honors of bringing forth the food from the depths of the cupboards?" I ask.

Leo laughs. "Oh, I see." He brings his hand to his chest like he's offended. "I'm just the servant-turtle guy. That's all I am."

I laugh. "Hey! I have to do the job of picking out the movie!" I pick up some of the movies. "What are you up for? Action? Comedy? Animation?"

"I'm up for anything," he says.

"We've got Shrek, The Incredibles, Elf...The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe," I list. "Any sound good?"

He looks at the cases and picks up the last one. "What's this about?"

"Read the back."

As he reads, I get up and take the popcorn out of the microwave. I pour it into a large bowl, and look up at Leo. He has put in The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe. I take a seat right in front of the couch. He doesn't waste a second before sitting down next to me.

We watch the movie, commenting at some parts and laughing at others. I feel really at home. I've missed talking to Leo so much. Just to have him sitting here next to me as we watch a two and a half hour movie really comforts me. It feels like my love for Leo has strengthened over the past few months.

When the movie ends, our night doesn't. We continue to talk. I've missed this closeness.

"It was really nice having you here, Leo..."

"Lexi..." he begins, rubbing the back of his neck. "I know that this may seem selfish, but I guess...I guess I've been a little jealous that Noah's been spending so much time with you. I've missed spending time with you." He sighs and closes his eyes. "And I know I may seem like I've been avoiding you, but I've just been scared. I'm scared Noah's replacing me. I know it sounds stupid, I just..."

"No, no, no," I say, shaking my head. "Leo, it doesn't sound stupid! It makes sense. I'm so sorry. Honestly. I'm the one who should be apologizing. I've been spending so much time with Noah because I wanted to maintain that friendship that I didn't realize _our_ friendship was falling apart." I close my eyes. "I'm so sorry."

Leo pulls me into his arms. I bury my head into his shoulder and pull him closer. I can feel his breathing, and I can hear my own heartbeat. I feel at home in his arms. When he pulls away, he ruffles my hair.

"Don't touch the hair," I warn playfully.

"Don't touch the hair?"

"Don't touch the hair," I repeat, and he grins. He begins ruffling my hair some more and I continue to push him away. "Leo!" He laughs and begins to tickle me. I laugh uncontrollably as he tickles my sides. I try to push him away with a pillow but he continues to tickle me.

"Leo...Leo, stop!" I laugh. He finally stops, but continues to grin. I throw a pillow at him (which he easily dodges). "You're a jerk."

"You know you love me," he teases, and I toss another pillow. "Stop throwing pillows! What did they ever do to you?"

It's funny that all it takes is a phone call and a certain amount of courage to mend a friendship back together. Mend it back like it was never broken. Now all I have to do is make sure those stitches stay put.

* * *

"Everyone shut up! Doctor Who is on!" I shout, diving into the couch.

"What the heck is a Doctor Who?" Raph asks, standing next to the couch and crossing his arms. He peers at the screen curiously and raises an eye ridge at me. "Is that a blue outhouse? Flying through space?"

"It's the TARDIS!"

It's been a few days since my little movie night with Leo, and I've been taking advantage of the short school days by hanging out at the turtles' place. Although I still hang out with Noah, it's almost to the point where even if I'm not here, Noah is here with Donnie.

Raph passes by, with an orange-clad turtle trailing him. "Mikey, that's why you don't go skateboardin' in the sewers!"

"What happened?" I ask, turning away from the TV.

"Mikey lost his skateboard," Raph says, heading to his room. "Lexa, it's your turn to be therapist."

"Okay, so I'm skateboarding, right? Okay so I almost slipped a few times because of the greasy sewer floors," he begins, and Noah and Donnie walk in.

"Sewer floors aren't greasy," Donnie points out. He has two blueprints in his hands and he and Noah are wearing matching eye goggles. "They're wet."

"And slightly mucky," Noah adds.

Mikey rolls his eyes. "Back to what I was saying: so I almost slipped but I managed to catch myself because of my amazing ninja skills because I'm really cool."

"You're so modest," I mutter.

"Stop interrupting me! Why does everyone do that?" Mikey shrieks.

"Ya make it so easy!" Raph says from above. We look up and see him leaning over the railing.

Mikey growls. "Nevermind..."

"No, Mikey, wait!" I call. "I care. Tell me what happened."

He looks at me, helplessly. "Okay, so I managed not to slip but one of the times I ended up slipping. My skateboard went flying only a few feet in front of me. I could even see it. But as soon as I blinked, it was gone. Just like that. And don't call me crazy, because I wouldn't lie about losing my skateboard," he explains.

"What do you mean it was gone just like that?" Don asks.

"I think he means gone like _poof_ ," Noah responds.

Don tilts his head. "Wouldn't gone like _pop_ work too?"

Noah shakes his head. "No, because pop is appearing, and poof is disappearing."

"Okay the main problem here," Mikey begins, "is that my skateboard was there one minute and gone the other! I know that board well enough that it makes a noise when it rolls away! I didn't hear that noise at all! So my theory is..." Everyone leans in, listening. "That we have a gooey monster that stole my skateboard!"

"And we're not listening anymore," Noah decides, and he and Don start to turn away.

"Wait! Don't leave: you're the only smart ones! Help me out here, dudes, and tell me what's going on! What do we need to kill this monster? A gun, a sword, a spear? I want my skateboard back!" He crosses his arms like a child.

"Here's how to kill it," Donnie begins, looking him directly in the eyes. "A very nonexistent imagination. Take Raph for example."

"Since I was actually listening to that sentence, I'm flattered, thanks," Raph says, yawning and turning back towards his room.

"Wait, Mikey," Leo begins. "How would a monster be able to steal your skateboard without making noise or being seen?"

"Yeah, didn't you say you only blinked?" I ask.

"Because he's invisible!" Mikey exclaims.

"And we're gone too," Don says.

Noah nods, as the two of them head back to Don's lab. "Hope you find your skateboard, Mikey."

"Why doesn't anyone listen to me?" Mikey complains. "If we're mutated turtles, then there are countless possibilities of other alien monsters out there!"

"But invisible alien monsters? That steal skateboards?" Leo asks.

Mikey glares and turns away. "Fine. Whatever. You guys don't believe me."

I sigh. "Leo and I will look for your skateboard," I turn from Leo so I don't feel guilty when he gives me an 'are you kidding me' look. "What does it look like? Does it have a name? What does it answer to?"

Leo snorts, and I elbow him. For all we know, Mikey could have one hundred nicknames and bird calls for his beloved skateboard. This is Mikey we're talking about.

"Really? You'd do that? Thank you so much!" Mikey embraces me into a big bear hug. "I love you, I love you, I love you!"

"Okay, okay," Leo says, trying to pry Mikey off of me. "Don't suffocate her. Then I'll have to go into the sewers alone and look for your board."

When Leo and I leave the lair, he turns to me.

"Why did you do that?"

"Do what?" I ask, but then realize what he's asking. "Oh. Well, he just seemed so upset. And in a way, his explanation kind of made sense."

"Invisible goo monster in the sewers?" Leo repeats, giving me a look. "That makes _sense_ to you?"

"Okay...not all of it," I begin, looking around. "But he did have a point about something."

"And what's that?"

"You guys aren't the only unusual creatures out there," I respond, looking over at him and into his eyes. "You are just a fraction of mutants. And you four are lucky you aren't dangerous; you grew up with Master Splinter. He trained and raised you. You know that capsule? The one with the mutagen that you said you guys destroyed?"

"Yeah..." Leo says quietly. "A few months before we met you, we destroyed the last of it."

"Well..." I take in a breath. "That wasn't the last of it. There's more, Leo."

Leo is silent for a moment, and I almost regret saying anything.

"More? What do you mean?"

"There are bad people out there...really bad people. Some who don't even want to be people. They want to tower above the human race and have their own army tower above it too." My voice is shaking.

He doesn't reply, so I add, "I just wanted to tell you."

"I'm glad you did," he says quietly.

"Just...please try to be more open-minded when Mikey says something that...something that seems impossible. Because lately, Mikey's logic has been the only realistic logic," I say.

Leo chuckles darkly. "Well that's dangerous." He looks at me, pleadingly. "Just be careful, Lexi. I really don't want to see you getting hurt."

"Oh Leo..." I mumble, shaking my head. "I'm not the one you should worry about getting hurt..."

 **A/N: Yayyyyyy we patched up Lexi and Leo's friendship! Nothing can tear them apart! And okay Noah & Donnie are actual friendship goals. They have matching goggles! See, like I said, Noah is pretty easy to like; just picture him as another Donnie, just with several differences because HE IS HiS OWN INDEPENDENT PERSON wHO DOnt NeeD nO DOPPELGANGER.**

 **As always, thank you for reading(:**


	4. Kisses & Leo

A blanket of breakfast foods wave over our noses. Pancakes, bacon and eggs. I'm seated in front of Noah, whose eyes look alive and animated as always. They turn to look out the window, which isn't exactly the prettiest sight: just broken windows and busy streets. But it's wondrous to him - it's adventure.

"So," I begin. "I've managed to get my eyes on a particular blueprint you and Donnie have been working on." He smiles and raises his eyebrows. "So are you planning on telling me?"

"Hm..." Noah says, leaning forward. "That would be breaking the rules Donnie and I both agreed on."

"What are the rules?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?" I whine.

He chuckles. "Because that's one of the rules."

I groan. "How am I supposed to point out when you're breaking a rule if I don't even know what the rules are?" I complain, crossing my arms.

He laughs, and crosses his arms too, mimicking my pose.

"I guess you'll just have to survive," he replies with a grin.

After we finish our food at the restaurant, Noah and I decide to take a walk. We walk everywhere. Through the park, around the block, around another block, around the park again, through all the shops, we walk. Whenever there's a silence, one of us takes advantage of that silence and cracks a cheesy joke that usually triggers another conversation.

"Okay, okay...this one is good. Why did the mushroom go to the party?" I ask.

"Hm..." He pretends to think. "I don't know." But he grins. We've both heard this joke too many times.

"Because he was a fungi!" I begin laughing.

Noah laughs and shakes his head.

"Haven't we passed that tree like six times now?" I ask.

"Probably. It's getting late; we should probably get you home. We can't have you sleeping in too late tomorrow."

"You're right," I agree. "I can't afford to miss another day at the Headquarters."

"I'm sure you can't miss _that_ much in a day," Noah says, shaking his head.

"You'd be surprised. Just missing an hour can be the difference between boring and hectic. It's either nothing is happening except breathing, or everything is happening at once. There's no in between," I say.

"Wow," Noah mutters. "It must be difficult. How does Benj take it? He's so young."

"He's not _that_ young," I defend, shaking my head. "He's fourteen, Noah." There is a silence. "I was younger than him when we started this whole thing."

"I still can't believe that," he mumbles. "I have so many memories with your family. Your dad was like a second father to me."

Noah used to come over all the time when we were younger.

"Yeah...my dad's a good guy. He's just in a state of mind right now where he doesn't know that," I say, and I'm surprised at how even and reasonable my voice sounds. It had taken me years and years, but I have finally managed to be able to talk about him and be okay.

"What would you do if...I don't know...he came back?" He quickly adds, "You don't need to answer, really. I'm just curious. Have you thought about it?" I think for a while.

I like talking about Dad-I just don't like thinking about him. Often times I can talk about him without thinking of him, because he and I were so close. Some things were just like second-nature, like how he'd make our whole family breakfast on Saturdays, and how he treated my mother like a queen. Or how he'd always let Benjamin watch him mow the lawn, but never let him near the lawnmower.

But with things like this, I can't think about it. I can't bother with the "what ifs".

"I don't know...I don't really want to think about that right now." We arrive at my apartment complex, and head up the stairs. I unlock the door and push the door open. The air is warm and lights are off. I flick them on and turn to Noah.

"It was awesome spending the day with you. And iHop was the perfect place. Brought back lot's of memories," I say, smiling.

He nods. "Anytime. It was great, Lexi." He pauses. "You're great." Before I know it, he's slightly leaned in. He places his hand on my cheek softly and his lips brush against mine. My heart jumps, but not in joy. In surprise.

Noah is kissing me. Why is Noah kissing me? I gently kiss back but then pull away after a few seconds. I don't like Noah like that...why am I kissing him? I take in a breath and his eyes stare into mine. I feel slightly uncomfortable. He's my best friend; not my lover. He isn't even really my best friend anymore. He's my childhood best friend.

I don't know what to say, and I think he knows that.

"I'll see you tomorrow, right? I'll probably be at the lair working with Donnie on that blueprint I'm not allowed to tell you about." He embraces me and waves as he walks out the door.

I bite my lip and let out a breath. What just happened? And why do I feel like it's almost completely normal?

"I gotta see Leo..." I mumble, grabbing my cell phone and shutting off the lights again.

* * *

 **LEO'S POV:**

I hate myself. Why did I do that? Why did I follow her home when I saw her and Noah walking? Why can't I just keep to myself and stay in my own business?

Noah kissed her. I don't know what to think. I'm surprised and I'm heartbroken. I know that Lexi doesn't like Noah like that, but when I saw him kiss her, a single thought blew through my mind: what if that kiss changes everything? I want to stay and see what she does to respond, but part of me doesn't want to know.

Why is it so hard for me? Because I'm a mutant. Lexi would never want me as anything more than a friend.

I feel angry. Angry at Lexi...angry at Noah...angry at myself. Why does she have to be so confusing? One moment she's giving a sign that she might like me, and the next, she's kissing Noah.

I enter the lair and head straight past my family. Some are reading the newspaper (Splinter), or playing video games (Mikey), or sleeping on the couch (Raph). I find Donnie in the kitchen, screwing in the last screw to the refrigerator.

"So how was your little walk, Fearless?" Mikey teases, not tearing his eyes from the screen. "Did you run into your love?"

I set my jaw and try to keep my face void of all emotion.

Donnie places a few of the screwdrivers back into his box and shuts it, which causes a loud sound. It wakes up Raph.

"Whoa, where's the fire?" he mutters.

Donnie laughs sheepishly. "Sorry about that."

Raph glances over at me, looks away, and then does a double-take.

"Dude, what happened?" Raph mutters. "Ya look like ya just punched somebody."

"Ooh...did you? Come on, Leo, tell us the truth here!" Mikey grins.

I sigh and shake my head. "No...I didn't. I'm just...um..." I can't find the right word. How can I explain to them that I had followed Lexi home because I didn't trust Noah and then saw them kiss? How do I tell them that without sounding nosy or overprotective? And without sounding jealous?

I can't.

"Angry? Upset?" Don guesses.

I shake my head. "No...just..." I still can't find the right word.

"Frustrated? Tired?" Raph tries.

I shake my head again. "No, just let me think..."

"Furious? Flabbergasted?" Mikey asks, and I let it all out.

"No!" I exclaim, putting my hands to my head. "I don't know, okay? Stop guessing, guys!" As soon as I say that, Lexi walks through the doors of the lair.

"Hey Lexa," Raph greets. "Ya look tired. Wow, you and Fearless both." Lexi glances over at me and gives a half-hearted smile.

"You too, Leo? Why are you tired?" She _does_ look tired. This Lexi is completely different than the lively one I saw walking home with Noah. Her curly blonde hair has been pulled into a low-bun, which is something she does when she's stressed or trying to concentrate.

"Um...it's a long story..." I try to search for anything in her eyes that may communicate that she liked the kiss with Noah. But all I can see is exhaustion. She collapses onto the couch and puts her head in her hands.

"What happened, Lex?" Mikey asks, pausing his game. "Who do we need to beat up?"

"No, no, Mikey..." she begins. "It's just that..." She pauses. "I spent the day with Noah."

"Oh, how's he doing?" Donnie asks.

"He's fine. We had a nice day. We went to iHop and then walked around for a while. Then he walked me to my apartment...and then...he...um..." She pauses again. "He kissed me."

I can tell by the sound of her voice that it's not only awkward saying it to us, but she doesn't really know how to explain it. We're all silent. Donnie and Raph glance at me to see my reaction. I quickly stare at the floor.

"Ooh...I know why Leo came in all down in the dumps..." Mikey realizes.

Raph stomps on Mikey's foot.

"OUCH!" Mikey shrieks.

"Oh sorry, was that your foot?" he asks, faking an apologetic voice. "I didn't know."

Mikey glares at Raph and rubs his foot. "You know," he begins. "I feel like you did that on purpose."

"Okay, okay, calm down everyone," Don begins, turning to Lexi. "So...did you...um...like it?"

"It was a nice kiss and everything," she sighs. "But it was just so weird! I didn't want to be rude or anything, but..." she trails. "You know I don't like him like that. I don't know what to do. I don't want to keep him wondering if I like him or not, but I don't want to just bluntly be like 'Sorry, I don't like you, so go find someone else.'"

"I can see how that could be confusing," Don says. "I think you should wait a while and if he does it again, tell him. Don't do it mercilessly though; don't break is heart." Part of me kind of just gets annoyed at the fact that she hasn't thought about telling me whether or not she likes me, just to set it all straight. Then again, I haven't spontaneously kissed her.

"Or you could just go out with Leo," Mikey suggests, earning another foot stomp from Raph.

"OW! Okay, now you're just doing that on purpose!"

"Ya don't say," Raph responds. "Look, Lexa, I know that this may be awkward between the two of ya, but try not to break his heart. We all know ya don't like him like that. But don't be all awkward around him because of it."

"I know. I know," she says. "Thank you for the advice." Her phone buzzes. "Oh...it's Noah. He said my jacket fell out of my purse on the walk home. He's bringing it back to my place. I'd better go." My heart falls. With a quick wave, she's gone.

"Do you guys think Noah and Lexi are gonna become...a thing?" Mikey asks.

"I don't know, Mikey." Donnie glances over at me. I stare back at Donnie and we stand like that for a few minutes. There's a silence in the lair besides the default music of Mikey's video game.

"They _would_ look kind of good together," Mikey says quietly. "I don't wanna make you feel bad, Leo. But I don't know...if she did like him back, they would be a cute couple. They already know everything about each other." I want to defend myself and saw that so do I, but I know Mikey is right. Lexi and Noah grew up together.

Except for the last five years. I think for a minute. Five years is a lot...and since Noah wasn't there for her in those five years, I was able to replace him. A sense of satisfaction fills me for a moment, but then I frown. Replace.

Have I replaced Noah? Is that all I am? A replacement?

No...I can't be. I know lot's of things I'm positive Noah doesn't. But do I really? Noah now knows about the Headquarters, the Shredder, my brothers and I...do I really have anything to share with Lexi that he doesn't know about?

Us. My feelings for her. Our Lexi and Leo show. Our memories. Our friendship. Those are things he could never replace. But still...I feel a pang of heart-break when I remember that at this moment, Lexi is heading home to see Noah again. I don't know if he'll kiss her again or if she'll tell him she doesn't feel that way or if she'll change her mind and decide that she does. That's what scares me: I don't know.

I set my jaw and shut the refrigerator (which I have opened while thinking). I shut it with bit more force than I'd meant. As I'm storming down the hall, I hear the common sound of our refrigerator falling apart. I hear Donnie groan.

"Aw, I just fixed that!"

 **A/N: Aww poor Donnie...always having to clean up the messes his brothers tend to make amidst their emotional roller-coasters.**

 **So I bet you were expecting Leo confessed his feelings, given the title. Hahah oops sorry so clearly that didn't happen(': But I can promise that it will be happening in this book, and sooner than you might think!**

 **Thank** **you** **for** **reading!(:**


	5. Pumpkin Pie

I wake up to the sound of silence, which is typical for a Sunday morning. I brush through my tangles of hair with my hand and end up throwing it into a ponytail. I find my family sitting in the living room. Leo's there too. I see that they're watching a movie I've only seen portions of. I know it's one of those teenage thriller movies.

"Oh Dana, I'm so glad you could come! Come in!" A brunette on the show ushers in a short blonde (Dana).

"Can't you hear by the sound of her voice that she's going to kill you?" Mallory exclaims, shaking her head.

"Thanks again, Andrea, for inviting me to your pool party. I didn't think anyone noticed me at school," Dana says.

Andrea responds with a smile that anyone but Dana can see is fake.

"Of course we notice you," Andrea says. "You really...stick out to us."

"Who says that?! She's going to kill you! Get out of there while you still can! Have your own pool party where people aren't going to murder you!" I scream.

We watch as the two girls walk into the pool area, where there are teenagers everywhere. A few moments later, it's gone dark at the pool.

I latch onto Leo's arm. "It's happening..."

"What's happening?" he asks.

"I don't know..." I groan. "But it's happening..."

"Um...guys? Hello?" Dana calls softly. She's in the pool, all alone now. "Where did everybody go?" We watch in suspense as a shadow comes up from behind Dana...and then it cuts to a commercial.

Everyone groans.

There's a knock at the door.

"Hey there; it's your favorite Cali dude, here for Recluse Day!" Noah's voice calls from behind the door. Mom gets up to let him in.

I really don't want Leo to leave. "We kind of already have a full house," I say to Noah. "Sorry..."

"I'm sure you can fit one more person," Noah insists. "Please, Lex? I haven't been to a Recluse Day in years!" Before I can do any further objecting, Leo stands.

"You can take my spot. I should probably be heading home," he offers.

"Leo..." I plead. "Don't go..."

"It's okay, Lexi." His hazel eyes sink into mine as he tries to reassure me. "I've been to all the Recluse Days since I've met you. Noah hasn't been to one in years." Just by hearing the way he says Noah's name, you can tell he's uncomfortable.

"But Leo..."

He sighs and crouches down so that he's right in front of me. He searches my eyes and then smiles a little. It looks forced. He does it to reassure me, but I feel like the truth would be better than false reassurance.

His voice gets quiet so that only I can hear. "I'll stop by later tonight, okay?" His closeness makes me freeze and all I can do is nod.

I watch as Leo swiftly moves out the window. Noah smiles and takes a seat next to me.

"So...what did I miss?" But I can't focus on Noah or Recluse Day right now. I'm focused on Leo and how long it's going to take before I truly realize how much I love him.

* * *

"Look, I'm really sorry about all of that." I stare at my hands. "You didn't have to leave, you know."

"You're making a huge deal about it, Lexi," Leo says, crossing his arms. "I'm not upset. He wanted to join, and he got to. No harm done."

"How am I making a huge deal about it?" I defend, crossing my arms and narrowing my eyes. "I'm not the one who got up and left!" Leo's sigh gives away firm evidence that I'm getting on his nerves.

"Lexi, seriously. It's not a big deal."

I'm flushed with embarrassment that I'm whining. I look at the ground.

"Lexi..." Leo's voice voice has softened. "You remember what I said about how I would tell you if I felt replaced by Noah? Well I'm not feeling that right now. I want you to spend time with Noah. Let him come to Recluse Day."

"Does that mean you won't be coming on Sundays anymore?" My voice is quiet.

He averts his eyes. "I should probably get going."

"Leo..."

"Lexi, I've been busy with Tatsuo's training and everything. I don't know if-"

"So you don't want to come over anymore."

"No, no, that's not it-"

"You don't want to have to tell me that so you're making up an excuse. I get it."

The room grows silent. I know I'm being brat but I can't seem to stop myself.

"I want you to know that's not the reason I left today," Leo says, standing up.

"What was it then?"

"I...I don't know, Lexi."

"Typical." The minute that single word flies out of my mouth, I wish I could take it back. I wish I could take everything back.

Leo stares at me with an expression I can't read. He opens his mouth, but then closes it again. After a few moments, he sets his jaw and turns away.

"Goodnight." Before I can reply, he has gone.

I'm left with regret flushing over me heavily.

* * *

"Oh yeah..." I mumble, reaching for the pumpkin pie in the fridge. "You are exactly what I want." I pull out four plates, one for me and each of my siblings and Mom.

I'm struggling with the four plates, when I feel the burden of two of them lifted from me. I look up and see Leo.

"I haven't seen you in a while," I comment, trying to act normal. I haven't seen him since our argument.

"I thought I might stop by. Plus, I missed you," he says, smiling. Another dart of guilt goes through my heart, remembering how rude I was to him the other day.

"I missed you too, Leo." And I mean it.

"Hey Leo," Benj greets. "Wanna join our Twilight Zone marathon?"

"Don't mind if I do," Leo says, turning to me. "Think you could fix me up some pie too?" He follows me into the kitchen.

"So..." he begins, leaning on the counter. He taps his hands on the counter energetically. "How many days until you get out of school?"

"Well _someone's_ excited," I say, laughing. I hand him his plate of pie, piled with cool whip.

"Thank you, m'am," he says, grinning.

I laugh. "You're such a dork." He grins at me again, with a mouthful of pie. "You're acting like Mikey!"

"Good."

"Good," I choke on a laugh.

When he and I sit down in front of the coffee table, he hands me my slice of pie.

"How'd you know that one was mine?" I ask, but don't hesitate to dig in. My slight spice of the pumpkin pie melts on my tongue.

"Overdose on cool whip, much?" he says. I look over at him; amusement dances in his eyes. I mean for it to be just a glance but I can't take my eyes off of him.

"Someone please remind me why we have pumpkin pie in the fridge when it's almost June," Rose says.

"Who cares?" Benj asks with a mouth full of pie. "Let's just savor the moment. Stop insulting the pie, Rosie."

"I'm not insulting the pie!"

"You're questioning its authority," I correct, waving my fork at her. "You need to clean up your act."

Leo snickers and Rose kicks him.

"Everyone, hush," Mom orders. "It's starting." Silence fills the room, with the occasional "Whoa" or "WHAT". That's kind of what the Twilight Zone does to you.

After a few episodes, I check the time and see it's almost three.

"We should probably get to work," I say, standing up and stretching. I look to Leo. "Are you gonna join us today?"

"I don't think so," he says, looking slightly guilty. "I kind of promised April I'd help her set up her shop. She got a new shipment last night."

We say our goodbyes, and the blue-clad turtle leaves through the window.

I watch him as he leaves, and feel an arm slung around my shoulder.

"Lexi's in loooooooooovvvveeeee," Benj sings from the other side of the room.

I look over and see it's Rose who has put her arm around me.

She smiles. "I'm happy for you."

And in that moment, I feel like _she's_ the older sister. Because I may be older physically and two years more experienced with life than she is, but she's more experienced with love. She's the eldest when it comes to romance. And I'm okay with that. Because I know I'd be a pretty lousy sister if it was based on how good I was at relationships.

* * *

"Lexi! Get out of your room! You've been in there all day!" Rose calls from outside my door.

"No," I complain, rolling over and placing my open book over my face. "My life isn't fair." I hear the sound of the door opening, but my book remains over my face.

"Book troubles?" Leo's voice sounds amused.

"You did this to her!" Rose calls from the hall. "Thanks a lot, Leo!"

He laughs and then looks over at me. "Which one was it this time?"

"Divergent," I complain, removing the book from my face. "He's too stubborn to admit he loves her! Even after all that's happened!"

"Oh Lexi..." he begins, but he doesn't bother explaining to me it's only a book. "How many pages left?"

I take a deep breath. "I don't know...eight chapters or so. There are two more books after this though."

"Then keep reading," he says. "I'll be here if any more traumas happen."

I look up at him and smile. "You're so sweet, Leo." My eyes scan the pages of my book once more. I get lost in the world of Divergent again.

I don't know how long I'm reading for. But I'm lying on my bed, switching positions every once in a while. Leo is stroking my hair absentmindedly as I focus on my book. Finally, I've reached the end of the book. I gently close it and stare at the ceiling for a moment.

"Cliffhanger?"

"You have no idea..." I say under my breath. I turn and smile at him. "Thanks for staying with me. I guess I'll socialize now."

"That's a good idea."

As soon as I walk out of my room, I'm swept off the ground and thrown over someone's shoulder.

"Lexi!" Mikey exclaims. I turn as much as I can and find it's the orange-clad turtle who has picked me up. Mikey's face has a huge smile on it. I'm so close to him that I can see his freckles sprayed all across his nose. I laugh.

"Why can't I go anywhere without someone kidnapping me?" I complain. "Put me down!" But he doesn't put me down. He carries me out into the living room. "Mikey!" He simply laughs. "Michelangelo! Put me down!" I'm laughing.

He places me onto the couch. Noah throws an arm around me.

I shake my head. "Can you people go two minutes without touching me?"

Noah pulls away and smiles. Things had almost gone straight back to normal after Noah kissed me over a week ago. The only thing different is that I find him flirting with me every now and then. And now, I don't have a reason to deny April's suspicions that he likes me.

As for Leo and I, we're almost as close as ever. But I'm unsure about how he feels about me.

"So Lexi," Noah begins. "Now that you've finally emerged from your room, would you care to go on a walk with me?"

I bite my lip and don't look at him. If I look at him, I'll have to say yes. And if I look at Leo, I'll both feel bad and Leo will tell me "It's alright, go with him." So I don't look at either of them. Instead, I walk to the television.

"I choose Doctor Who," I say, sitting on the couch. Nobody opposes. When we turn on BBC, the episode "The Empty Child" is on. We all sit there watching. A little bit of small talk here and there and a bit of joking. But I feel Leo's absence hit me like a shock. He's still in the room; why do I feel like he's missing? I look over to where he was.

He's gone. I bite my lip and glance towards the window. It's just beginning to get dark. I feel my forehead crease in confusion. Where would he have gone? I take out my cell phone and pull up my last text conversation with him.

 _Me: What, is Doctor Who too boring for you?_

 _Leo: Sorry...I just had to get out for a while. I need to think about a few things, okay? I promise, Doctor Who is anything_ _BUT boring. I'll be back soon._

 _Me: Okay, I'll see you soon._

I'm about to put my phone away, but I send one more text.

 _M_ e: _Be safe, please._

A few more episodes pass and I notice Leo has managed to slip back into the room. I glance over and smile. He looks up and smiles a soft smile from across the room. I blush and look down, embarrassed. Had he thought it was weird that I'd noticed him gone?

Seeing it's getting late, Mom proclaims the party over, since we have school in the morning. I find myself over by Leo, sliding my arms around him in a hug.

"I hope you got to think everything through," I whisper. "Whatever you needed to think about."

I feel him sigh and nod. "I did," he whispers back. We pull away, but are still close. I can see the little specks of dark brown in his hazel eyes. His lips twitch a little bit into a smile, and I smile back gently.

"Well," Noah says, putting a hand on Leo's shoulder. "Looks like I should get going too." I inwardly sigh. Leave it to Noah to break the moment.

I give Noah a hug. "It was good seeing you, Noah." I turn back to Leo, but he's gone. As are the rest of the turtles. When Noah leaves, I cross my arms and shift my gaze from the window, to the door, from the door to the window.

I sigh and retreat to my room. What am I doing? I don't like Noah like that and I do love Leo. Why can't I just say it out loud to him? Why can't I tell him?

I glance towards my bookshelf and smile. I pull out the second book of the Divergent series: Insurgent.

 _Sometimes, getting away from reality is good for the brain. Sometimes it's healthy._


	6. Tension & Twilight

"Uh...hey, Lexa...do ya think I could join ya with your work today?" Raph approaches my desk, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Sure," I say, dragging a chair next to me. "I'm doing Profile Reports."

He looks at the paper on top. "What does the number mean?"

"We rate the criminal a number out of ten for their danger level. I'll show you some that are four through eight, because anything before that isn't much danger and anything after that would be too risky to show you. Not to mention, I'm not really supposed to show anything above an right to someone not trained in fighting like at the Headquarters."

Raph crosses his arms and scoffs. "Me? Not experienced? I've been fighting crime since I was a baby."

"Really?" I ask flatly.

"No," he admits. "But Master Splinter began training us when we were eight."

"Why? Did he _want_ you guys to hurt yourselves?"

"Hey, we were fast learners!" he defends. "Even Mikey. We got our weapons when we were about thirteen."

"Well I mean I'm not supposed to show people not trained by the HUA," I say.

"Gotcha..."

"Another reason is safety. I'd hate to be the one to tell your brothers that I'm the reason you ran off to fight a six foot five dude who has been using knives for fun since he was five years old."

He snorts. "Alright, I get it."

"Now this first guy is Radcliff Tucker. He's a Purple Dragon. He's rated an eight because he's been trained in fighting since he was five years old and he always has a knife with him." I hand Raph a picture of the guy, with dark hair highlighted dark purple and red.

"Don't tell me he's six foot five..."

"Six foot one, actually. Don't go looking for him. He normally doesn't go looking for trouble, but when trouble goes looking for him, he welcomes it."

"Why is he rated an eight, then?" Raph asks, peering at the picture some more. I really hope that he isn't trying to memorize the face so that as soon as he leaves the Headquarters he can go track Radcliff down.

"He killed his mother when he was fifteen," I say quietly.

Raph looks up immediately and his eyes widen. "Are you serious?"

I nod. "Normally if they've killed someone—especially someone like their own family member—then they are automatically set to the ten rating, because we already know how capable they are of killing someone. But that was four years ago and he hasn't committed murder since."

He tilts his head curiously. "How do ya know all this stuff?" I give him a look. "Oh, right…secret undercover headquarters. I get it."

I hand him another one. "This guy isn't as dangerous, but he's very clever," I explain. The picture is of a teenager with dirty blonde hair and bright green hawk eyes.

"Griffin Forrester..." Raph reads, raising an eye ridge. "Doesn't look too dangerous."

"He's not," I respond. "He's only a five. But he's clever. Not bright, but clever when it comes to weaving his way out of things."

We go through the Profile Reports for a while, and when the mood gets heavy and too serious for me, I ask a question unrelated to the Profile Reports.

"So what's the big deal about Donnie and Noah's big invention they won't tell anyone about?" I ask. "You know anything about it?"

Raph snorts and rolls his eyes. "Nope. Nor do I care."

"You _wouldn't_ care," I reply. "You're Raph."

He smirks and narrows his eyes mischievously at me.

"What's the deal about you and Fearless?" My face reddens. "Why haven't ya told him yet?" I whack him hard and look around. I let out a breath when I locate Leo on the other side of the room, talking to Rose.

"Why would you say that out loud?"

"How else am I supposed to say it? Is this supposed to be a telepathic discussion?" he retorts and I roll my eyes.

"Yes, that would have been nicer."

"Why haven't ya told him?"

I look at my hands and shrug. "I don't know. With the whole Noah thing, it's been kind of hard to tell him. I feel like everything I do with Leo makes Noah jealous. It's really complicated, Raph."

"That reminds me," Raph begins, curiosity stinging in his eyes. "Did ya ever find out if Noah likes ya?"

"I don't know," I say quietly. "I haven't been able to ask him."

"Ya haven't been able to or you're too scared?" Raph asks.

"I'm too scared..." I admit. "What do I do after he answers me? Am I supposed to tell him that no matter what, I like Leo and he can't do anything about it? I don't want to hurt him..."

"I know ya don't, Lexa..." Raph begins. His voice is soft and gentle, which doesn't happen often. "But maybe ya should think about it."

"Think about what exactly? Everything? Because Raph, I've been doing that and it doesn't seem to be getting any easier."

Raph stares at me for a long time. "Lexa." He says this one word hesitantly. "Have ya ever considered that maybe Leo may like ya?"

I don't answer immediately. Have I considered it? Of course-I'm hopeful that he likes me back.

"There's always that little bit of hope, Raph." I pause. "But the likeliness of Leo being in love with me...I don't know how thick that chance is. He's so amazing, Raph. But I'm his best friend. And what I've learned is that in most situations, once you enter that best friend zone, there's no turning back. There can't be romance after that." I'm surprised at my answer. But I don't disagree with what I've said.

"It happened with Noah, didn't it? Why can't it happen with Leo?" Raph asks, crossing his arms. His expression is soft but challenging, like he wants me to think about it. Does he know something I don't? Did Leo tell Raph that he likes me? Is that why Raph is trying so hard?

The excitement building up in me dies when I remember something: Raph and Leo aren't that close. He'd never tell Raph something like that. Then is Raph just giving me false hope? Something to chase after?

"Raph, that whole Noah thing was just weird. And we aren't completely sure he likes me back."

"He kissed you."

"It could've been a friendly kiss."

"A friendly kiss. Really," Raph says flatly.

I sigh and nod. "Yeah...like a best friend kiss. No romantic meaning." I'm only trying to trick myself. What am I saying? Noah has fallen for me and I just don't know how to handle it.

"A best friend kiss, eh?" Raph begins. "Then why hasn't Leo given you one of those?"

I rub my eyes. "You give me a headache..."

 **LEO'S POV:**

Rose has been telling me about the work she does at the Headquarters. She watches clips from security cameras and takes notes on them, matching it with data they already have. I comment that it's different than what Lexi does.

"Lexi doesn't usually let us see her while she's working," Rose notes slowly. "You must be special if you've seen her working and she didn't shoo you away."

I feel my face redden, and I shrug. "I don't know. She didn't seem bothered. Why doesn't she let you guys watch?"

"She says it knocks her off her concentration," Rose explains. Then she pauses. "I don't know why she would let you of all people watch if it's based off of concentration..."

"What?"

"Nothing," she says quickly. "So how's that crush on her going?" I give her a look and she grins. "Come on, you don't have to get so defensive! I haven't talked to you about it in forever!"

I sigh. "Well..." I rub the back of my neck. "I don't know. I feel like ever since Noah came into the picture, she and I haven't been as close. I don't want to break up what they have though. So I feel like I'm just on the sidelines kind of just watching something that may turn into something big. It's like...I can't do anything about it."

"But you _can_ do something about it," Rose disagrees, shaking her head. I laugh a little. Lexi had said the exact same thing when I'd told her I couldn't do anything about how close she gets with Noah. Despite their differences, they're definitely sisters.

"Think of it like Twilight," Rose says.

I give her a blank stare. "You are _not_ comparing my love life to Twilight." I shake my head. "No." Rose begins laughing and she can't stop. "That's not happening."

"Calm down and let me finish," she pleads. "I promise this will be worthwhile."

"You comparing my love life to a sappy vampire love story is not worthwhile," I disagree. "I'm not letting you do this..."

She swallows down another laugh. "Just listen, you idiot."

I'm quiet after that, but I give her a challenging look.

"Okay," she begins. "You know how Bella knows Jacob before she really meets Edward?" I don't answer. "Okay, well, think of Bella like Lexi and Jacob like Noah."

I snort and roll my eyes, leaning back in the chair. "Great. So I'm the sparkly vampire."

Rose hits me. "Stop it and let me tell my tale! So yes, we'll think of you as Edward. Bella and Jacob have known each other longer than Bella and Edward. There's eventually this crazy love triangle. Jacob loves Bella, but Bella loves Edward and Edward loves Bella. In the end, Bella ends up with Edward, who she hasn't known as long as Jacob. But despite the separation it would cause in her friendship with Jacob, she still chooses Edward."

I raise my eye ridges. "So you're saying that I'm going to end up with Lexi just because Stephanie Meyer says so?"

Rose laughs. "No. I'm saying that the best friend who has known her longer doesn't always get her."

"What if I'm not Edward though? What if I'm Jacob?"

"You aren't Jacob!" she exclaims, whacking my plastron. "You're missing the point, dummy!"

"But what if I am?"

"You aren't?"

"What if?"

"You give me a headache, Leonardo..." she mutters. "My point is..."

"You had a point?" I tease.

"Shut up and let me finish! My point is that at the end of it all, guess what? Bella gets Edward and is still friends with Jacob. Because Jacob accepts the fact that they both just want Bella safe and that she loves Edward. So the friendship between Bella and Jacob may have gotten rugged on the edges throughout their difficulties, but they ended up being able to sharpen out that friendship."

I snort. "What did they use to sharpen it? Jacob's claws or Edward's fangs?" Rose groans and hits me with her notebook. "Okay, okay, I get what you're saying."

"Good," she says. "Now apply it to your life."

"You want me to turn into a vampire and-"

"Stop it, Leonardo!" she exclaims. Before she can hit me again, I duck.

"Stop hitting me!"

"Stop mocking me!" she compromises.

I roll my eyes and hold out a hand. "Deal."

She laughs, but her expression changes from joking to serious. "I'm serious, Leo. Don't wait too long. You never know-she might feel the exact same way."

 **A/N: Hey there! I hope you enjoyed the chapter(: We got a nice little POV comparison - did somebody say PARALLELISM because tHaT's WhAT i sEE. Raph and Lexi's convo and Rose and Leo's convo are very similar (though Rose's had a cool Twilight comparison and Leo getting hit a lot). Again, I'm sorry for any typos there might be. Just try to look past it(':**

 **My hope is that you're at least liking Noah a little bit more. I promise you that the romance between Lexi and Leo isn't too far off! It's coming up!**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	7. Awkward

**LEO'S POV:**

"What's a word that rhymes with time?" Rose asks, looking up from her laptop. "I have to write a poem for English."

"Rhyme," Lexi says.

Rose nods. "Yeah, a rhyme for time."

"No," Don begins, shaking his head. "She means that rhyme rhymes with time. So does lime."

"Or mime!" Mikey exclaims.

"Paradigm," Noah suggests.

Raph glances over at Rose. "How is she supposed to make a poem out of those dumb words?"

Lexi looks up. "One day I was looking for a rhyme for time. It was simply a time where I needed a rhyme. Not just any rhyme-an absurd kind. Such as lime or mime or paradigm," she recites. "Like that."

"That isn't fair!" Mikey exclaims. "You're a writer! Poor Rose doesn't have any talent."

Rose scrunches her eyebrows. "Um...thanks, Mike."

"Ugh, Cats 101, why are you still here?" Lexi exclaims. She picks up the remote and tosses it. I dive down and catch it. I raise my eye ridges and ruffle her hair.

"Don't break the remote please." I toss the remote to Benj.

Lexi leans forward, propping her head up with her hand. "Now we have to watch cats be stupid..." she whines.

I feel a tap on my shoulder and see Noah.

"Hey Leo," he says quietly. "Can I talk to you?" Why would he want to talk to me? I scan my brain for anything I could have done, said or thought that may have made him hate me.

"Uh...sure," I respond. I get up from the couch and follow him into the hallway. He crosses his arms and looks slightly uncomfortable. He's silent. I try to break that. "Is something wrong?" He's quiet some more before he answers.

"Leo, I'm sorry...but...like a week ago, when we were at the HUA...you remember that night, right?" Of course I remember it; it was the night we discovered a cure. I don't have short-term memory loss. But how would he know that? I have unintentionally distanced myself from Noah. I haven't been giving him a chance.

"Yeah."

"Well...when you were talking to Rose, I got curious. I heard her say Lexi's name, and I started listening. I'm really, really sorry, Leo. I honestly didn't mean to. I was curious. I've felt bad ever since and I've felt like I needed to apologize." He rubs his hands nervously. "I'm sorry..."

So he'd listened to my conversation with Rose. Fury piles up inside of me. He had absolutely no right to do that. I'm about to tell him that he's just an eavesdropping idiot who doesn't deserve Lexi, but then I remember something.

 _I'm_ the one who followed them when I'd seen them. _I_ am the one who hadn't trusted them together, and saw them kiss. _I'm_ the one who needs to apologize.

But I can't. I can't let him know I'd seen them kiss! After that, he might tell Lexi. And I really don't want to lose her trust.

"How...how much did you hear?" I ask slowly, trying my hardest to remain calm. Noah swallows.

"From the part when Rose was telling you about what she does, from then on," he responds quietly. So basically the entire conversation.

"It's...alright, Noah." But it isn't alright. I don't need Noah knowing about my feelings for Lexi! There is a very fat chance that he's going to tell her.

"I promise I won't tell her. It was a mistake to listen to the conversation. I'm sorry. I won't tell her. I promise, Leo." And the worst part about it all is that he isn't lying. He's honest and loyal and genuine. And for some reason, it's really pissing me off.

I shake my head. "Thanks..." I just want to get back into the living room and get away from Noah. He already knows too much. I don't like him but I have no valid, mature reason to not like him. He's smart and polite and cares for Lexi. What more could you need in a friend? Which is why I'm jealous of him.

"Are you sure you're not angry?"

"I'm...I'm not angry, Noah."

"Good." He pauses. "If you don't mind me asking, how long have you liked her for?"

"I do mind," I admit quietly. "Sorry."

"It's cool," he says casually. "I'm sorry again. Are we cool?" What does he mean by that? No, we aren't cool! I suddenly want to ask him how he feels about Lexi but I tell myself that's a really bad idea. I don't think I want to know the answer.

"Yeah..." I mutter. "We're good."

When we walk back to the living room, I let my mind wander. Why is he acting so casual about all this? He isn't showing any jealousy. Maybe his crush on Lexi has faded away. Maybe that kiss meant nothing to him.

Or maybe he feels bad for me. Maybe he knows all good and well that there's no way Lexi would choose me over him. He pities me, and he's confident in himself. I sigh. Whatever it is, it's really irritating me.

I find Lexi on the couch, lying down, leaving no room for anyone. I sigh, smiling a little. I approach, lift up her feet and sit down. I focus my eyes on the TV, but through the corner of my eye, I can see Lexi smiling at me. I almost turn and smile back.

Almost. And I probably would have if I didn't have Noah's eyes staring at me as well.

 **A/N: Literally I feel like every character knows something they shouldn't know(': Eavesdropping is quite the trend. Speaking of which, we haven't heard from Shredder in a while, have we? I wonder what he's up to...**

 **Okay, I know this was a short chapter and stuff and might seem kinda pointless but the next chapter is gonna be BIG. I'm seriously so excited to post it. In fact, the next few chapters are gonna really lead up to things changing. Everything will kind of be happening all at once, but I don't think it'll be chaotic or anything. I guess we'll have to see how it goes(:**


	8. Knives & Saving Lives

**LEO'S POV:**

"Leo..." Mikey whines. "I don't want to pair up with Raph. He'll beat me to death."

I cross my arms. "No he won't. And it won't be for long. An hour and a half of partner patrol and then we can go home."

"I don't see the point in partnering up for patrol if there's more crime out there than usual. Don't we need each other to fight off the surplus crime?" Don asks, crossing his arms as well. I sigh. Does everyone have to complain?

"Who says there's more crime than usual?"

"Uh, the Headquarters," Mikey reminds. "Duh. You wouldn't know that though since you're always staring at Lexi and not paying attention. Lover boy."

I roll my eyes. "Let's just get on with this, okay? I'm just trying this out for once. Anyway, if there's more crime in a particular area, you can always call on your Shell Cell."

Raph snorts. "Yeah. Let's just call you up while we're fighting the Dark Angels."

"You think we'll get to fight the Dark Angels?" Mikey asks. His voice sounds suddenly hyperactive.

"Hopefully not," Don says.

"And there's a thin chance that they'll be out tonight or anytime soon. Serena says that they've been suspiciously out of sight. Either they're planning something and they don't have time to lash out on innocent individuals, or their plan is to make us curious enough to look for trouble with them," I explain, looking over the ledge.

"Wow, you _have_ been listening."

"Let's just get this over with," Raph mutters. "Come on, Knucklehead." As Raph leaps away, Mikey catches up with him.

Don and I take off as well, in the opposite direction.

"It's been an hour," I announce. "Looks like it should be clear for tonight."

"Uh, Leo," Don says. I glance over at my brother. "I think you spoke too soon." I follow his gaze and my eyes land on a small group of Purple Dragons. I recognize a few of them from Profile reports.

"Good."

"Good?" Donnie repeats. "How is that good?"

"It makes things less suspicious," I explain, bringing out my katanas. "Let's go."

As we near the Dragons, we notice that it's a boy we recognize that they are surrounding.

"Kylan?" Donnie whispers. "Out of all the people they could have trapped...Kylan? That can't be a coincidence..."

"It probably isn't," I agree.

As soon as I let myself into the light of the alley, one of the guys catches sight of us. Another takes hold of Kylan's shirt. Kylan tries to struggle, but I can see the grip tightening. Kylan's face is changing colors as he struggles to breathe.

"Eh, would ya look at that," one of them sneers. "I spy a turtle or two that have no chance."

"I knew they'd come out of the shadows eventually," Another says, crossing his arms.

"Release him and we won't harm you," I warn.

"Aw that's cute," one of them mocks. "Ya think we're let him go just 'cause you showed up? We were _waiting_ for you ."

"What do you mean waiting for us?" Donnie asks.

"We've seen ya hanging around blondie," he responds.

"How does she relate to this kid in any way?" I ask reasonably.

"Don't play dumb, turtle boy," one sneers. "We've seen it."

"Everyone just assumes that because we're Purple Dragons, we ain't smart. If ya ask me, we the smartest of all. And that Foot Clan don't know what they're askin' for." He shakes his head. "They just don't know."

"Why are you in such a small group? Where's the rest of you?" I ask, glancing around the alleyway. From what I know, there aren't any others hiding. Purple Dragons aren't quiet or stealthy-they can't hide from us for this long. Yet what do I know? They've surprised me a number of times tonight.

"Ya really think we would'a blended in if we all came? We can handle fightin' ya alone." He shoves Kylan to the ground.

That's when it begins.

I swipe a few off their feet with my katanas. Donnie does the same. One of the main Dragons smirks and dodges all our hits. One comes up charging at Donnie and he pushes him back with his staff. We've knocked them all to the ground pretty easily, except for one who has taken hold of Kylan. He begins to drag the boy away, when smoke fills the air. And it isn't mine. Purple Dragons don't use smoke bombs...

As the fog fades away, Karai's figure begins to clear up. Her black hair is a mess in the wind and there's a strange look in her eyes. An untamed look: like a wild animal trying to hold back the urge to jump out at its prey.

"Hello, Leo," she greets with a small smirk on her face. "Look like your friend needs a little help."

But I don't take my eyes off of her. I'm always suspicious when Karai's around. But she stands perfect still. No Foot Ninjas. Just her and her wild eyes.

"Why did you do that?" Don asks, crossing his arms.

"What? A friend can't help out a friend?"

"You aren't our friend," I growl, helping Kylan up. He scrambles to his feet.

"Whoa, Leo, Donnie...I don't even know what happened. I was just walking and then-" he stumbles with his words. I can feel him shaking. Karai snickers.

"Where'd you find this one? The circus?" she teases, jumping down from the ledge.

"Why are you here, Karai?"

"I want to compromise," she responds. Her voice almost sounds too casual-like it's blowing in the wind so freely that it doesn't make a single sound.

"Karai, we've been over this. I don't compromise with villains," I state sternly.

"Not even for your brothers?" she asks, cocking her head.

Donnie and I freeze.

"What do you mean?" When I ask that, Karai grins. She's almost resembling a child right now. She sits on the ledge, swinging her legs back and forth like a young child playing on a playground. "Karai." She looks almost in a daze...like she's physically there, but not mentally.

"Off a ledge. Only a little bitty rope is holding them," she explains.

My eyes widen. "Tell me where they are."

"But what fun would that be? Why should I tell you?" she quizzes, crossing her arms. Don's mouth sits wide open. I charge at Karai and before she can defend herself, she falls backward onto the ground. I corner her and strike my katana blade inches from her face.

"Tell me."

Her eyes dart from my blade to her face. "Fine. Just a few buildings down. They're probably dead by now though, so don't get your hopes up." I don't know what to say. What am I supposed to do? Hold her captive? Thank her and tell her to have a nice day?

I slide my katanas back. "You don't seem like yourself, Karai...are you okay?" I don't mean to ask that, but it slides out from my mind and through my mouth.

"I'm fine," she drags. "Now get out of here." Still, no Foot ninjas emerge. I glance over at Don. We help Kylan climb with us and we quickly locate Raph and Mikey, who are tied together off the building.

"Hold on, guys!" I call.

"Leo, don't!" Raph shouts, but it's too late. I blink and suddenly I'm surrounded by Foot Ninjas.

"Are you kidding me?" Don exclaims. "Why didn't we expect this?"

I growl and take out my katanas. "We aren't exactly having a bundle of luck today..." I respond.

A few ninjas lunge out at me and I dodge them. With just Donnie and I fighting, how am I supposed to set Raph and Mikey free? I take out my Shell Cell and dial Emmeline.

"Hello?"

"Hey Em." I toss a Foot across the roof with a swing of my katana. One comes up from behind and I dodge his punch. "We're kind of in some trouble right now. We're on patrol fighting the Foot. Raph and Mikey are tied up. Think you guys could give us a hand?"

"Where are you?"

"Um..." While dodging one, I peer into the distance and find Tony's Pizza. "We're right across from Tony's."

"We'll be right over."

"Wait Emmeline," I grunt. "Tell Lexi not to come. I don't want her getting hurt."

A new voice pops up. "I'm not staying, Leo. I'm gonna help. Hang on, okay?" The call ends.

I groan and slide my phone away. But as soon as I do so, one of the ninjas trips me. I crash to the ground and hit my head on the roof. I groan and hop back up, dodging just in time to avoid getting my head cut off.

"Are they coming?" Don calls. One comes up from behind him and I shout to turn around. He whips around and dodges. The ninja who had been creeping up on him begins sliding off the roof. He almost loses his balance, but quickly regains it.

"Yeah," I call back.

"I think that my contribution would really do us some good in this fight..." Raph announces.

Mikey squirms. "I really wouldn't mind being down here if I weren't tied to this guy." He motions his head towards Raph.

Raph glares at him. "Well you ain't the best person to be tied to either!"

"Can you guys chill for just two minutes?" Don pleads, knocking down some ninjas with his staff. "We're kind of trying to save your lives here!"

"Need some help?" A voice asks. I turn and see the Kings and Casey.

"That would be appreciated," I respond, knocking another ninja down. Rose heads towards the edge of the roof where Raph and Mikey are tied. She pulls out a knife and begins cutting them loose.

"Wait, what happens when you cut all the rope out? We'll fall to our deaths!" Raph points out. Rose looks panicked and I glance towards Lexi, who is getting ready to fight.

"Lexi will help you guys up," I suggest. That way, she's less likely to get injured.

Lexi glares at me. "I wanna fight!"

"Lexa, I'm gonna say this once and only once: listen to your boyfriend!" Raph exclaims. Lexi reddens a little (I can't tell whether it's from embarrassment or anger). She heads to the edge of the roof, and latches onto Raph's arm while Rose cuts. I turn my head too late to see a knife thrown towards me. It scrapes against my arm and blood begins to trickle.

"I would have been able to prevent that, Leonardo!" Lexi exclaims.

"I doubt it."

"You wanna bet?" Her eyes sting with challenge.

Rose looks exasperated. "Lexi! Hold the rope tighter. And Raph's arm. We don't want him to fall."

I try to ignore the pain in my arm as I dodge another knife. Why are they all throwing knives at me?

From the corner of my eye, I see Benj fighting off one of the ninjas. One comes up from behind him without him knowing. I'm about to warn him, but Casey does instead.

Another knife is thrown just inches past my face. I watch where it lands and my eyes widen. It heads straight for Rose and Lexi. Rose turns and sees it just in time. She screams and jumps back, nearly falling off the roof.

Lexi helps cut the last bits of Raph's rope off. He doesn't waste any time before springing into action. When they cut Mikey away, he has to regain his balance before he joins the fight.

A few more knives in my direction, but I manage to dodge them well. I'm in the middle of knocking down a ninja, when I see Karai. When had she gotten here? She still has that crazy, wild look in her eyes.

In her hand is a knife. _She's going to aim it at me...she's going to try to kill me._ That's my first thought. But I'm proven wrong. She lifts up her arm and it's unmistakable that she's aiming for Lexi.

"Lexi!" I shout. The next thing I see is the knife flying through the air, still aimed at her. And the next thing I _feel_ is an excruciating pain in my chest. It's pain I've never felt before. Burning. I feel myself crash to the roof. I can't get up.

"Leo!" Lexi's voice screeches. I hear footsteps coming and a scream.

I'm lifted up.

I hear the sound of a smoke bomb and I fall into darkness.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 **A/N: Heyyy lol I don't usually do cliffhangers, so I thought, "Why not?" If you're confused, Leo jumped in front of the knife that was headed towards Lexi, which saved her life. Haha out of all the knives thrown at him, it's the one that wasn't actually thrown at HIM that injures him the most(': but okay like I said, starting this chapter, a bunch of stuff is gonna be happening! I'm SO excited for this upcoming chapters! I hope you like them ^.^**


	9. The Aftermath

**LEO'S POV:**

My entire body aches. Mainly my chest. It's only when I let out a groan, that I realize how quiet it is. Where is everybody? Where am I? I can't bring myself to open my eyes, but when I see how dark it is. I'm in my bedroom.

None of the lights are on, and my door is shut. I would've thought I was in complete darkness if it weren't for my video camera currently charging. The green charging light is on, but that's almost the only way I can see.

Absentmindedly, I try to sit up. I let out another uncomfortable groan, this time, louder. I'm in so much pain. Despite the severe pain I'm in, I feel a weight lifted off my shoulder (definitely not off my chest) that I had saved Lexi from this pain, if not, worse. Human skin is definitely not as thick as our plastron. She would be dead.

Lexi could be dead.

I let out a breath and then another groan from the pain. I saved her from death. The pain doesn't matter to me anymore. If Lexi is safe, I don't care how long it takes me to recover. Suddenly, my door is opened. The light in the hallway hurts my eyes and when the light in my room is turned on, I have to shut my eyes again. It's too much.

"Oops...sorry," a voice mumbles, shutting the light back off. The door closes. A few minutes later, it opens again.

"Don't try to open your eyes right away," Donnie's voice advises. I hear my lamp turn on. "Just wait a few minutes. I'll get my supplies, alright?" I desperately hope he doesn't genuinely expect an answer. He leaves the room. Even with my eyes closed, I can feel them getting used to the light.

"Leo..." a quiet voice says. Lexi's. I try opening my eyes again. "Shhh...shut your eyes. I don't wanna get in trouble with Donnie again." She must've been the one to turn on my light and apologize. I laugh, but then groan in pain. "Don't laugh either. Don's gonna kill me..."

I want to say something-anything. I want to tell her how happy I am that she's safe. I want to say how she should've been paying more attention. I want to let her know I'm so, so happy she's alright...

"Lexi, you can't be in here," Don informs, coming back in. I hear his case of supplies set on my desk.

"Donnie, let her stay," I mumble. I'm surprised at how normal my voice sounds. I don't know what I expected: a sore throat, maybe? A cough? A raspy voice? My voice sounds normal, but ten times quieter. I don't want to strain it.

Don sighs. "Okay. But if she makes you sit up or anything, she has to leave. No offense, Lexi."

"None taken."

"Leo, I'm going to get you an ice pack for your chest, okay?" Donnie says, but I don't answer. "Okay, so you can tell me to let her stay, but you can't answer me?"

"Yep," I mumble.

After a few moments, I open my eyes. The burning in my eyes has gone away but my chest still stings. In front of me sits Lexi. She wraps her hand around mine and looks at me worriedly. Her hair is pulled back into a low bun and her cheeks are tear-stained. She's been crying.

"Isn't it weird," she sniffles, "how just six months ago, I was the one lying in this bed injured and you and Donnie were the ones fixing me up?" I chuckle and the action makes my chest hurt. Her eyebrows scrunch up. "I'm not supposed to make you laugh! It's hurting you!"

"Not on the inside," I say quietly. My eyes fill with amusement, but she still looks concerned. "Lexi, I'm alright."

Donnie comes back with an ice pack in his hands. He looks worn out from the fight.

"Lexi, do you wanna be my medical helper?" Donnie asks.

She smiles. "Sure."

He hands her his box of medical tools. He looks at me and smiles sympathetically.

"Leo, you got hit pretty hard with that knife. It'll take a lot to get it out. Do you know who hit you?" Donnie asks. He begins to dab some ointment around me wound. I notice that my shoulder would is cleaned off and bandaged.

"Karai," I say quietly. "She was...going to throw it at Lexi." My eyes flicker to hers. "I couldn't let that happen." We both stare at each other for a moment and she looks like she's going to cry again.

"Leo," she whispers. "You didn't have to do that..."

"I really wouldn't want you to be in this pain right now," I insist, hissing at the stinging sensation as Don dabs more ointment. "Trust me."

"He's right," Don says. "If Leo hadn't have done that, you'd be dead."

"Why isn't Leo dead?" Lexi challenges, raising her eyebrows.

"Humans have thinner skin. At the force that knife was thrown at, it would've definitely punctured the heart. Our plastron is thicker so it slowed the knife enough to avoid reaching the crucial heart area. But if we don't get it out soon, the blade will continue to block the arteries and will eventually cause some serious blood flow difficulties," Don explains. He turns to me. "I'm going to give you an anesthetic, okay?" It isn't a choice. He's just making sure I know. He also sticks a needle into my arm. After all the pain from tonight, it hardly hurts.

"How long have I been out?" I ask, watching Donnie get ready to take out the knife. His eyes meet mine for a moment, and then he looks back at his tools.

"Put your focus on something else - it'll be easier to ignore the pain that way," he orders. "And to answer your question, it's one in the morning." That doesn't exactly answer my question, but I don't bother saying anything. "Lexi, try to talk to Leo and distract him. This will hurt a lot."

I feel Donnie picking at the knife with some dentist-like tools. I flinch at the metal sound scraping against the knife and inside of my plastron where the blade has punctured.

Lexi turns to me. "Mallory and Raph have been arguing the entire time about what's better: a carving knife or a turkey-cutting razor."

"Who's on who's side?"

"Raph is the carving knife, and Mallory is for the razor." I'm about to say something back to show that I'm listening, but she takes it into her own hands to continue talking. She sees the pain I'm in and doesn't care if I don't respond.

"Mikey's been playing video games with Benj. They've been screaming at the top of their lungs the last few hours so that's why the door was shut. Also, sorry for turning on your light. Anyway, don't feel bad about keeping us here because it's like our second home. Did you know high heels were originally meant for men to make their calves look better? I've also heard that they were made for butchers but I mean, either way, they were made for men. But because of societal ridicule, it's not their trend anymore, which honestly-"

There is a sudden yank. I hiss.

The next thing I see is the knife, which blood dried all over it. Donnie holds it and hurries to put it away. He takes out a few cotton squares and dabs some disinfectant onto my wound. I grit my teeth and shut my eyes tightly. Now that the wound is open and the knife is out, the pain is even more noticeable.

"Let's patch you up," Don says. "You're gonna have to sit up, Leo."

I bite my lip and nod. I try to sit up and ignore the pain that's throbbing in my chest. Lexi squeezes my hand even tighter. My eyes lock with hers and she smiles. I smile back and she averts her eyes from mine, but keeps holding onto my hand. Don wraps the bandages around my plastron a few times.

"Thanks, Don," I say.

He nods. "I think I'm going to wash off the blood and do some research on the knife. It looks suspicious."

"Knives altogether are suspicious. Why are you particularly cautious about this one? What did it ever do to you?" Lexi jokes.

"To me? Nothing." He motions his head to me. "To Leo? Stabbed him in the chest." He leaves the room. It's just me and Lexi.

"Leo...that was the nicest and bravest thing anyone has ever done for me," she says slowly.

"It was nothing..." I trail, but she's already shaking her head.

"You heard Donnie. I would be dead."

I search her deep blue eyes, and throughout my pain, offer her a smile. "I really care about you, Lexi."

And I do. More than she knows.

 **A/N: Yayy Leo's okay haha. Dude honestly Lexi is so blind if she still thinks that Leo doesn't like her more than a friend. All the tell-tale signs are there. But when will he tell her...? I can guarantee it won't be long!**

 **Okay, I'm gonna be honest with you: I've been feeling really down about my writing lately. Like, I read other books & stuff and just think to myself, "Wow, I stink at writing." All my ideas seem to be all over the place & I try really hard, I do. But it's hard because I think I'm decent and then I read other stuff and then feel bad about my own work. I'm trying not to feel like that but that's how it is.**

 **I'll keep updating for this story, of course. But I'm telling you this to show that when I thank you for reading and reviewing, I mean it with all my heart. Sometimes I just feel so self-deprecating about my writing so it literally makes my day when people review. Really - thank you so, so much.**


	10. Blushing & Burnt Pineapple

"About time," Benj mutters as I walk into the front room. "It's noon-thirty."

I rummage through the cupboards and get out the things I need to make a sandwich.

"So," Noah begins. "Wanna come to the park with me? Maybe we can get some food later." My first thoughts are of Leo. He's hurt. Because of me.

I shake my head. "Sorry," I begin. "I was planning on going down to the lair today. I wanna hang out with the guys, especially after what happened to Leo."

"What happened to Leo?" Noah asks. It hits me that he doesn't know. I bite my lip and look to Rose.

"The guys were fighting off the Foot. Leo jumped in front of Lexi, saving her from a knife. Don had to extract it from his chest. He's in a lot of pain. Don says it'll take him a few weeks to recover. At the least," Rose explains.

"Oh man..." Noah's eyebrows are drawn together, and he actually looks upset. "I hope he's okay. Well, yeah, definitely I won't stop you from going there. I'll probably go there later today to work on the experiment with Donnie."

"That experiment that neither of you will tell anyone about?" I tease. "Are you sure it isn't illegal?"

"It's not," he says, his eyes dancing with amusement. "I promise. It's just really cool. Not to mention, we may not even have success. So we don't want to get anyone's hopes up."

I laugh. "If it works out, it'd better be good."

When Rose and I get to the lair, we find a very concentrated Donatello, working on one of his inventions.

"Oh...hey, Lexi...hey, Rose..."

"What's everyone up to?" I ask, taking a seat on the couch.

"Just hanging out," Don responds. "Where's Mallory?"

"She went with her family to a trip to DC. They wanted to see the White House," I explain.

"Hey Don," Mikey begins, stuffing a slice of pizza into his mouth. "Why don't _we_ ever go on life-changing trips to the White House?"

Don sighs. "What kind of answer do you want me to give?" he begins, raising an eye ridge. "A mocking answer or a realistic one?"

"I'm in the mood for being mocked right now."

"Okay," Don says, glancing over at Raph. "That's your department, Raph."

"We were banned from the White House when we were kids because you prank called the President telling him you were a ninja who had his eyes on the White house at all times. You flew a ship towards the White House, but Splinter used his telepathic powers to hypnotize you and turn the ship the other way. You ended up crashing into an open field and started going on about how you came to the conclusion that you were an alien. None of us disagreed because you were green. This drove you into madness," Raph says monotonously. " _That_ is why we can't have fun, life-changing trips to the White House."

By this time, Rose and I are laughing. Meanwhile, Mikey is glaring at his older brother.

"Hey," Raph says, putting up his hands. "You asked for it."

"When does your school get out again?" Don asks.

"Friday," Rose replies.

"Technically six days if you want to be exact," I add.

"No, being exact would be saying June 13th," Rose corrects, grinning.

"Stop questioning my exactness!"

"Is that even a word?" Raph asks.

"Yes," Don says. "It's a word."

As soon as I feel it's appropriate to, I excuse myself to go visit Leo. My sister comes with me. We find him in his room, propped up by the head of his bed frame to support his back. He's drawing.

"Hey," I say, knocking, even though the door is already open.

Leo looks up, and then smiles a bit. "Hey." His voice isn't as quiet and strained as it was before, but it's obvious that he's still in pain. He sets down the drawing pad and then tries to sit up even more.

"We wanted to come down here and see how you're doing," Rose explains. He smiles and nods at her. Then our eyes lock and he smiles a bit more.

"That's really nice of you," he says. "I probably won't be that interesting though, since I'm not allowed to walk around yet."

"That's okay," Rose says. "I just came in here to say hello and see how you're holding up. Lexi's probably gonna stay longer. I hope you recover soon."

"Thanks, Rose," he responds, smiling. "It's nice to see you." After my sister leaves, I pull up a chair and set it next to his bed. He smiles and raises his eye ridges, like he's surprised.

"Don't you want to spend time with my brothers?" he asks.

"We did."

"For how long?" Leo teases. "Thirty seconds?"

I laugh. "I'm serious. We had actual conversations."

"Like?"

"Well," I begin. "Raph told a fantasy tale about why your family isn't allowed in the White House, then we talked about how our last day of school is Friday. And Don defended me about how exactness is in fact a real word."

"Well it looks like I didn't miss any purposeful conversations," he says, grinning.

I laugh. "Whatever. I'm here for _you_. What's up?"

"You really think my life is that interesting when I'm stuck in bed with no one to talk to?" he asks.

"You've got me," I point out.

He smiles. "I'm glad."

I glance over at his drawing pad. The front page still has the letter I wrote. I blush.

"That was so embarrassing..." I mutter.

"What?" He follows my gaze towards the drawing pad and then chuckles. He reaches over and takes it into his hands, peering at it some more. "The letter you wrote? It was awesome."

I rub the back of my hands. "But I had literally just met you." I peer at the notepad. "So what have you drawn in here?"

He hands it to me. "You can look through my hideous sketches if you please to do so."

"I certainly please to do so," I respond, taking the book. I flip through the pages and find drawings of all kinds of things. The drawings are amazing-especially considering the fact that he's never had art lessons. "These are amazing, Leo..."

"Eh, not as good as yours."

"Are you kidding?" I exclaim. "If I hadn't taken art lessons when I was fifteen, I would still be drawing stick figures." I pause. "In fact, I still _do_ draw stick figures."

I find a few full-drawings of scenery. The majority of the drawings are just of everyday things like books or his katanas. The scenic ones are truly amazing. He has gotten every shade and every shadow almost perfect. I flip to one of the last pages, and he tries to take it out of my hand.

"Oh...um...you weren't supposed to see that..." he mutters. I tilt my head curiously, then look down at the paper. It's a drawing of me. "Now _I'm_ the creepy one..."

"No, no, Leo..." I whisper, shaking my head. "This...this is amazing. How did you draw this?"

"Um...I don't know. We've known each other a while. It wasn't very hard to memorize certain things like the way your hair is, your smile...that kind of stuff." In the drawing, my hair is down and curly.

We sit there in a peaceful silence, his sketch pad between my fingers. From the corner of my eye, I can see a small, green light. I turn and catch sight of our video camera. I smile. I'd seen a drawing of the video camera in his sketch book.

I get up and unplug it, turning it on.

Leo tilts his head. "Wait...what are you doing?" I don't answer him.

"This is the Lexi and Leo show, Saturday, June 7th. Recently, Leo got into a nasty fight with the Foot Clan. He jumped in front of me and saved me from a flying knife. Isn't he sweet?"

He tries to push the camera away.

I laugh. "He's a bit shy right now...but he'll warm up."

"You're a pain," he mumbles, rubbing his temples.

"He's lying. I'm not the pain-I'm the medicine," I explain.

"No, you're the cause."

After a short show of the Lexi and Leo show, I close the camera. We are both silent for a few moments. I take his hand and just hold onto it for a few minutes. Neither of us says anything-we are just quiet. It's a perfect silence. Not awkward or strained in any way, shape or form: it's a nice, accepting silence. We know that neither of us has to say anything.

"Hey, I'm gonna crash in here, okay?" Mikey voice says, walking into Leo's room. As he does so, his eyes shift from my hand to Leo's. "So...have you confessed your love for each other yet?"

"What love?" Leo and I both say in unison.

Mikey groans.

I laugh. "I thought you were playing Survival City."

He sighs. "I was. But Raph kicked me off and threatened to make me allergic to pizza so I had to leave." We are both silent. Leo and I glance at each other.

"Mikey," Leo begins. "Raph doesn't have the capability of making you allergic to pizza."

"He said he would shred Leo's Space Hero books and tell everyone that I did it if I ever told him that," Mikey complains. Leo's eyes widen.

"You didn't tell him that, did you?"

I laugh. "You can stay. Where's everyone else?"

"Well Noah showed up so he and Donnie went into the lab. I tried to peek in on them, but they set up a trap and this gooey stuff came from the ceiling and how I smell like burnt pineapples!" He shoves his foot in my face. I reluctantly sniff it.

"It _does_ smell like burnt pineapples," I agree.

"Stay here as long as you'd like," Leo offers. "Just don't shove your feet into our faces again."

"It's a deal. So...what were we talking about?"

 **A/N: HEY Y'ALL. Okay it feels like FOREVER since I've updated, but here I am. have been really stressful lately so I haven't really had time to write much but I promise I'll try to make more time! It wasn't the most exciting chapter, but bear with me, the story will get better. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you are enjoying the story!**


	11. Cautious Come-Backs

Graduation becomes the topic of the times.

"I think it's a real graduation." Then I glance over at Mom, who is sitting on the couch, watching the last few minutes of her Soap Opera. "Hey Mom, do I get a real graduation?"

"Yeah, you're graduating with the other seniors that are in the same Homeschooling program as you."

"I'm showing up with a big neon sign that says "Lexinardo FTW'."

"I still can't believe you made a shipping name for us..." I mumble, shaking my head in disbelief.

"It was actually a pretty fun activity."

"Activity?" I repeat. "What, did you all gather together while I was asleep and discuss it?"

"Too bad we can't say it in front of Leo because _someone_ is too afraid to confess her feelings!" Rose exclaims.

"Mm..." I pretend to think about it. "Too bad."

Mallory groans. "Come on, Lexi..." she throws an arm around me. "It's obvious he likes you back. Just admit it!" As she says this, Noah walks through the front door without knocking.

"Great, now because of your poor etiquette, Noah is walking in without knocking!" I exclaim to my best friend. "Thanks, Mal."

Noah laughs. "So what were we talking about?" Before I can step on her foot to keep her from answering (not that that would've worked anyway), Mallory answers.

"We're trying to convince Lexi that Leo likes her," Mallory explains. Hm...it's never too late to step on her foot. I stomp, but if it hurts her, she barely shows it. Noah looks amused and slightly curious. I'm glad when I don't see any jealousy in his expression, but I'm also a bit surprised.

"Why? Does she like him?" he asks casually.

I bite my lip. But I don't even have to shoot my best friend a look because she knows when enough is enough.

"We're just teasing. They're really good friends and we think they would be a cute couple. But they're always so defensive and try to prove that they have no romantic feelings for each other. It's kind of annoying," Mallory explains smoothly, ignoring his question. "But what we _do_ know is that it's obvious Leo likes her. Don't you think?"

I scoff and roll my eyes. "Why would you ask him? How's he supposed to know?"

"Quiet," she hushed me and turns to Noah. He almost has a guilty look on his face.

"She's right," he says, and Mallory cheers. He rolls his eyes. "No, not you. Lexi. How am I supposed to know?" Mallory mutters something and then crosses her arms, slouching on the couch. I laugh at her defeat.

I hear Rose laugh and we look over at her to see she's looking at her phone, smiling.

"Ooh..." I tease. "Someone special?"

She rolls her eyes. "No," she says. "It's Gabe. You know...our cousin."

"Ew Nevermind," I mutter.

She laughs and then looks up at Noah. "So Noah. Is there anyone special in _your_ life?" He's quiet and hesitant before he answers her question.

"No," he says, shaking his head. "Not really." Rose and Mallory both look surprised, like they want to ask more. Mom is the only one who actually does so.

"No girlfriend you had to leave to come up here?" Mom asks. "Have you ever had a girlfriend?"

"I've had three," he replied. Half my heart is relieved to hear that, but the other half is disappointed for some reason. Why am I disappointed? I don't like Noah like that.

"What happened to them?" Mallory asks.

"None were really the one." I can tell by the tone of this voice that he doesn't want to be having this conversation right now. And because I know exactly how he's feeling, I save him.

"We should be heading to work soon," I say, standing up. "Want to join us, Noah?"

"Sure," he responds immediately, nodding.

Just because I'm in love with Leo doesn't mean I can't still be close with Noah.

* * *

"So we've gathered our photos and other evidence," Serena begins. "And we've come to a few conclusions that may connect and work its way toward a conclusion that may be the death of your family if you aren't careful."

She clicks a switch and I flinch back. On the screen, there is a picture of the man who had tried to kill us a few months ago. The man with the gun on the freeway.

"That's the guy who tried to shoot us!" Benj exclaims, his eyes widening.

Serena switches the screen to another slide, a slide that shows our car after it was damaged. "We took a few pictures of your vehicle after the attack and noticed some...odd things. There were dents that no human man would be able to make." Another slide appears and it's once again, a picture of the guy in action.

"How'd you get these pictures of him in the car?" I ask wearily. This is a man I had hoped to never see again. I hoped that after we'd arrested him, he'd be in jail and no threat to my family, or anyone for that matter. But considering the fact that Serena is showing us a slideshow four months after the incident, the reason can't be good.

"I had some cameras built into our car in case of something like this," Mom explains. "He managed to smash a few but we still got some pictures."

After a few more slides, she comes to one that really makes me jump back. It's a picture of him aiming the gun at Mom through the window.

"You remember this, right?" Serena verifies. I have the urge to scream, "Yes, of course I remember the night my family and I almost died!" But I don't. I can't. I just nod and wait.

"Well...we've come to the conclusion that the man wasn't aiming for Emmeline." She paused. "He was aiming for you, Alexandra." My heart stops.

"Wait, hold up," Raph says, crossing his arms. "The gun was pointed at Emmeline."

"The gun was pointed near her, but this man was clearly a master-mind. Emmeline, you own a bulletproof airbag, right?"

Mom simply nods. I glance over at my mother: her eyes have something I can't understand. It isn't fear of being in danger...it's fear, definitely, but I can't name the type of fear. I inwardly groan. Why am I so observant? We are talking about a possible murderer out for us and here I am noticing people's facial expressions!

"Well if you look at the pictures, it wasn't aimed at Emmeline. It was aimed _near_ her." It shows that she is correct: it's an inch or two off, and if you follow the lines drawn out, the bullet is supposed to hit the bulletproof airbag, and then me.

"Okay, why would they want to kill Lexi? I don't understand..." Noah mumbles, shaking his head and biting his knuckles.

"We don't know that yet," Serena says, turning towards Mom. "Do you have any ideas, Emmeline?"

For a moment, Mom doesn't look Serena in the eyes. When she finally does, she shakes her head.

"No," Mom says. "I don't know anything."

Serena nods and then dismisses us. I rub the back of my hands, nervous. But my eyes catch sight of a very troubled looking Mom. I catch my hand on her shoulder.

"Mom? Are you alright? You seem..." What's the word? Tense? Afraid? Angry? Different? She freezes for a moment, but then turns to me, smiling worriedly.

"I'm alright, sweetheart." Her soothing voice calms me down. Maybe I'm just overthinking things. "I'm just worried."

Before I can respond, she hurries away. I watch after her, and then take a seat at my desk. I find my hands dialing Leo's shell cell.

"Hello?"

"Leo," I let out a breath. "Hi."

"Hey, Lex...are you okay? You sound stressed." I don't know how I could've managed to let on that I was stressed, after simply saying two words.

"Um...yeah," I say, shaking my head. "I'm alright. We got some interesting news. I'll tell you about it later." Something tells me that informing Leo about a guy currently on the loose, trying to kill me, isn't the best idea, given his current condition. "But I called about you. How are you feeling?"

"Tired," he admits. "It really stinks not being able to get up and go places."

"I bet it does," I say, nodding. "I hope you're able to come to my graduation."

"There's no hopefully about that. I'm going no matter what Donnie says."

I smile. "You're so sweet." I pause. "I'm really glad you're not in as much pain."

"I'm glad you're not dead." His words may have been a joke to lighten the circumstances, but I flinch back anyway.

"Yeah. Well I need to get back to work. I'm glad you're feeling a bit better," I say, and I mean it.

"I'll talk to you later. Bye, Lexi."

"Agent Alexandra..." Serena's voice bellows. I turn towards her and find a grave expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" She doesn't answer. "Serena...what's wrong?" She hesitates before answering but when she does, I wish I hadn't have asked.

"The man who tried to kill you..." Her eyebrows draw together. "He's escaped from prison." My heart stops once more.

There is someone out there who wants to kill me. He can do it any time, any where, however he wants. And there's absolutely nothing I can do to stop it.

* * *

I shut my book and reach over to turn off my light. But I lay back down before I can. I can't turn it off in peace. Not knowing what I know, and feeling what I feel.

So I sit there, with my book in my hands and just listen.

"Can you guys be a little more protective with her? I know she doesn't like to be babied but I'm really worried," I hear Mom explain. I bite my lip and suddenly feel angry. The guys are already too protective - now they'll never leave my alone.

My cell phone rings. I dive for it before it vibrates off my bed.

It's Leo.

"Let me guess," I begin, my voice stale. "You heard the great news."

"Are you okay? Are you hurt? I can come over if you want-"

"Leo," I state sternly. "I don't need to be babied. I'm fine, okay? I can take care of myself, thank you very much."

There is a silence on the other end and I begin to wonder why Leo is always the target of my attitude.

"I know you're capable of taking care of yourself. You're a strong, independent young woman," he says gently. "But there's no reason for us not to be worried. What if something _does_ happen?"

"I know...I'm sorry," I mumble.

"Look...I know you don't like it, but it's hard to know that there's someone out there wanting to hurt you. As a best friend, do you know how hard that is for me?" His voice sounds genuinely worried and hurt.

I try to put myself in his shoes. If someone was out to get Mallory, that would be really scary for me. Even though I know she can fight, I would still be worried. I would still want to be by her side at all times.

"I'm sorry," I say, shaking my head. "I know it's not easy for you. Especially since you can't move around that much."

"You don't need to apologize," he insists. "And by the way, Don says that I'll be able to walk around the lair tomorrow. Not leave the lair, but get my own food and things like that."

"That's good!" I'm glad to have the change of subject. We talk for a bit about that.

"You should probably be getting to sleep," Leo says. "We both need rest. It's been a long day."

"You're right. Okay. Bye, Leo. Thanks...for everything."

Leo laughs a little. "I don't know what I did. But you're welcome."

When I hang up, I feel like I can actually fall asleep. I don't know many who have that power.

~~~~~~~~~  
 **A/N: Return of the guy who tried to kill the Kings...hm...wonder what he's been up to. Okay I KNOW that the fact that the guy wants to kill Lexi seems SO egocentric towards the main character, which is a major cliché but I promise there is purpose to that. Just keep reading.**

 **And okay what's up with Emmeline?**

 **And aw Leo's being as cute as always. I cANT WAIT FOR LEXINARDO**

 **Okay in the next chapter, you're probably gonna hate Noah but then (if my hopes come true), you'll understand him a little bit more. And then hopefully you'll hate him a lot less. Ugh okay I'm literally so excited for the next few chapters! I hope you are all enjoying my story! Thank you so much for reading!**


	12. Crashed Kisses & Kind-of Confessions

Right after I eat breakfast in the morning, there's a knock at the door. Before I can even get anywhere near the door, Mom swings out from behind the wall, a gun drawn.

"Mom!" I exclaim, looking at her like she's crazy.

"What? You can never be too careful! It could be a Dark Angel!" she insists, loading up her gun. She motions her head at Rose towards the door, indicating she could open it.

I cross my arms. "I don't really think the 'knocking on the door' technique is a Dark Angel method," I say dryly. I drop onto the couch next to Benj, glaring at the television screen.

Benj laughs. "You need to get used to the fact that they're gonna be a lot more protective than usual now that there's someone out there who wants to kill you."

I turn to him. "You aren't going to be protective though, right?"

He chuckles. "You can take care of yourself just fine. I'll keep an eye out for you but I'm not gonna install a GPS into your veins."

"That is why I love you the most," I say, squeezing him into a hug.

When Rose opens the door, Noah walks in. He grins and holds up some papers.

"Look what I've got!" he says, coming closer. I look closely at the tickets, and my eyes widen.

"Concert tickets to the Spring Radio Festival?" I exclaim. "Noah!" I attack him into a hug, nearly squeezing the life out of him. "When is it?"

"Today at noon," he replies.

I pull away. "That's in two hours!" I grin. "Thank you so much, Noah! You're so great!"

"Well, I already knew _that,"_ he jokes. "But it's nice to hear it again."

As I turn on the engine of the car, Noah looks at me and comments on how we haven't hung out in a while.

"Yeah..." I mumble. I don't know what else to say.

"You've been...uh...hanging out with Leo a lot," he notes. This time, I turn and look at him.

"I don't like him like that if that's what you're thinking." Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Who am I even trying to convince? He doesn't say anything, so I shake my head and try again.

"You and I are going to have the best time at the Festival," I say. "Nothing is going to change that, Noah." And this time, I can look over at him without worrying about him seeing through my lie. Because I'm not lying. I am going to have an awesome time listening to music with my childhood best friend. Nothing is going to change that.

We arrive at the festival twenty minutes before it starts. Noah and I push towards the stage area. The entire plaza is a chatter-box. He hooks his arm with mine and I grin up at him.

"Lies" by Marina and the Diamonds plays.

 _"You're too proud to say that you made a mistake; you're a coward 'til the end. I don't wanna admit that we're not gonna fit. No, I'm not the type that you like. Why don't we just pretend? Lies...don't wanna know, don't wanna know oh...I can't let you go, can't let you go oh. I just want it to be perfect. To believe it's all been worth the fight. Lies...don't wanna know, don't wanna know oh."_

After that, Sara Bareilles is up.

 _"Say what you wanna say and let the words fall out. Honestly, I wanna see you be brave!"_

Soon, one of my favorite artists is up, Imagine Dragons. They sing "Demons", which is one of Benj's favorites.

 _"When the days are cold and the cards all fold and the saints we see are all made of gold; when your dreams all fail and the wounds we hail are the worst of all and the blood's run stale. I wanna hide the truth; I want to shelter you; but with the beast inside, there's nowhere we can hide. No matter what we breed, we still are made of greed. This is my kingdom come. This is my kingdom come."_ Everyone in the crowd is swaying their hands back-and-forth to the music. I laugh as Noah grabs my arms and does the same.

 _"When you feel my heat, look into my eyes! It's where my demons hide, it's where my demons hide. Don't get too close, it's dark inside. It's where my demons hide, it's where my demons hide."_

"Fall Back Into my Life" by Amber Pacific plays. This is the song that the turtles are constantly playing in the lair (by the turtles, I mean Raph and Mikey). As much as the two brothers don't have in common, this much they do.

 _"I know it's not enough to say I'm wrong. You know that I will miss you now you're gone. I know it's not your life to see this through; just know that in my heart, it screams for you! So leave a little note for me behind; I swear, I have to know the reasons why this won't survive."_

 _"But if you fall back into my life, I'd spend every night waking up to the beat I hear inside telling me to be your only one. But if you fall back into my life, I promise you I would never let another day just pass us by. I could never leave this world undone... I want to be your only one."_

Artist after artist, song after song...and I'm having the best time. More than once, Noah reaches over and holds my hand or puts his arm around me but that doesn't bother me much. By five, the festival is over.

"Hurry," Noah ushers. We push through the crowd. "I don't feel like being in the middle of a ton of traffic."

I laugh. "You know," I begin. "The Noah I used to know wouldn't be the one trying to best traffic. He would be the one trying to sneak backstage."

He laughs. "Nope. Nothing illegal this time."

I start the engine. "This time..."

We drive and laugh as we talk about things we noticed.

"Did you notice the ring on Sara Bareilles' finger? Is she engaged?" Noah asks.

"You're talking about the ring when I'm over here freaking out about the loose string on Carly Rae Jepsen's dress. Ugh, it was so frustrating!"

We stop for a bite to eat and then head towards the apartment complex. We sit in the car in a nice, peaceful silence for a few moments. I take a sip of water.

I look up to see him staring at me with a thoughtful expression on his face. He smiles and reaches over, gently taking my hand. My heart stops. This is not happening again. I can't let him kiss me again.

"I had an awesome time today. It was so great to be able to just hang out-just you and me." He pauses for a moment and I know exactly what's going to come next. He leans in, but before he can kiss me, I turn my head.

"Don't kiss me," I say, and there is a silence. I look up at him nervously. He looks slightly embarrassed.

"I'm sorry," he says, shaking his head. "I just assumed..."

"Assumed what? That just because we went on a date to a concert, that we're automatically dating?" Am I hurting his feelings? I want to search his expression to find anything that maybe could be found apologetic, but I can't look at him. I stare in front of me, suddenly finding the dashboard the most interesting thing in the world.

"You kissed back," he says slowly. I feel his gaze lingering on me, but I can't find myself to look up at him. "Doesn't that mean something? Or were you just doing that because you felt bad? Because I'm really, really confused." He's hurt. I've never heard him sound like this before. Without thinking, I look up at him.

Now it's my turn to be shocked to see that he's looking at the dashboard like I had been. He's avoiding my gaze. I inwardly groan. What have I done? I should've just let him kiss me. If I had done that, I wouldn't be in this situation.

I take in a breath. But I don't regret it.

"Noah," I say softly. "Do you like me?"

"Yes," he mumbles, shifting his eyes so that he's almost looking at me. "I was scared. I mean, I've never been romantically attracted to you before. I always knew you were pretty but I never had a crush on you when we were younger. But when I came here, I started feeling different." He pauses. "The reason nothing ever really worked with my other girlfriends was because they weren't you. I didn't know that at the time, but I had been searching for you. How do you feel?" He answers so quickly and honestly, that I want to do the same. But I can't. I have to think about my answer.

"I've been hurt a lot in the past, Noah. I had a boyfriend before and that didn't end well," I explain quietly. I feel him gently place his hand on mine. I look up and see he's looking at me with understanding eyes.

"I understand, Lexi..." he says, nodding. "But you know I'd never hurt you, right?"

"I'm in love with Leo." I don't even know what I'm saying before it comes out of my mouth. My eyes widen when I hear myself say it. I feel a shock run through my body. Both because I'm surprised that I'd said it out loud (to Noah of all people) and the idea of how easy it came to me.

I really don't want to look at Noah anymore; not after that. But my body and mind aren't working together right now. Noah has his mouth slightly open, like he's trying to say something but the words won't come out

"Noah-"

"I had my suspicions." His voice sounds soft and quiet-or maybe it's super dry and bitter.

"Really?"

"Yes," he mutters. "But I didn't think anything of it."

"Why not?" I ask, feeling myself get defensive. "Did you think I'd choose you over him?"

"I just thought that maybe we could become something. You can't really have a life with him."

"Noah!" I'm hurt that he would even say that.

"I'm sorry." And he sounds sorry. "I'm really sorry. I don't know what's gotten into me. I'm being a jerk." He pauses. "I'm just hurt, you know? Hurt that all this time, I thought you liked me. I really, really like you, Lex. And I guess as stupid as it sounds, I didn't expect rejection. I mean, we were best friends as kids...I just thought...I don't know."

I feel my heart soften. I sigh and enclose his hand into mine. He looks at our hands with a hurt expression. He knows that I don't like him like that, and small actions like this are not comforting anymore. I bite my lip and instantly release it. I feel like crying.

"Noah," I say firmly. "I'll always have special memories with you. And you know that I love you too. Not in the way I love Leo, but I do love you." I pause. "I love you because you helped me through elementary school and middle school. You stuck up for me when people were teasing me and you stood by me. That's something that will never change."

He looks me in the eyes. He still looks hurt, but in a way, he seems better. Like he hasn't completely accepted the fact that I love Leo, but he's on the road to acceptance. I squeeze his hand and smile softly. He smiles back and nods.

"I know," he finally says. "It's okay. There's nothing I can do about you being in love with someone else."

"I really hoped you would get it. I knew that you would. You're smart and you deserve the best girl out there."

"You _are_ the best girl out there."

I have to blink back tears. "Noah..."

"I know. There are plenty out there. But none of them are you, Lexi. Not a single one." He is silent. I want to say something, but I don't know what to say. "I'll see you soon, Lexi. Please don't feel bad about not liking me back. To be honest with you, I'm actually really glad we had this talk. It definitely beats not knowing how you feel at all."

He is starting to get out of the car, when he stops and looks over at me.

"And Lexi?"

"Yes?"

"Don't give up on Leo," he says. "He may surprise you." Before I can ask what he means by that, he's gotten out of his car and headed towards his apartment. I bite my lip and sit there in the car for a long while, just thinking.

When I can no longer see Noah anymore, I decide to bring the turtles some pizza.

 **LEO'S POV:**

"Leo," Mikey whines, crossing his arms. "Tell Raph to give me my pizza coupons back! I want to get a pizza!"

I sigh and glance over at my brothers, who are arguing.

"Raph, stop teasing him; he's just a kid."

"I'm not! I'm almost nineteen! I am _not_ a kid!" Mikey defends.

"Come on guys," Don says from his workspace. "Leo can't do everything right now. He's still recovering."

My plastron is decorated with the bandage wrap. I'm leaning on the couch, finishing up a smoothie that Mikey had made me. Apparently, it's supposed to help me recover. I don't believe that though, considering how wonderful it tastes.

The pain has been getting easier and easier to manage. Donnie says that in a few days, it will simply feel like a bruise. But although it won't hurt as much, I won't be allowed to go on patrol for a long while. He says that the injury could rip and become larger.

"Leo, do you need more of the smoothie?" Mikey asks. I smile. Although Mikey is the youngest, he's been very helpful during this time. I feel bad for taking him for granted all this time.

"No thanks, Mike. It was really good though, by the way."

He grins-obviously proud-and grabs my cup, rinsing it out in the sink.

"So where's Lexa today?" Raph mutters, rubbing his eyes and slamming Mikey's pizza coupons onto the coffee table (cue Mikey squealing). "I thought she had a day off of school today."

"Rose texted me saying Lexi went on a date with Noah to a concert. It ended at four." A date?

My heart sinks and I feel an emotional punch in the stomach. She's been spending so much time with me; I'm positive that it isn't fair to Noah. I shouldn't be so selfish.

"It's five-thirty now," Mikey says. "Can you ask if she got home safely?"

"If Noah didn't bring her home. I really hope he didn't kiss her again," Raph mutters.

"He's not a bad kid, Raph," Don defends. I'm considering getting up and going back to my room. What's the point of sitting here if they're going to talk about Lexi and Noah?

The lair wall opens up and Lexi walks in, holding three boxes of pizza. She looks happy to see us. Mikey screams and runs for the pizza. He accidentally shoves her and the pizzas go crashing.

"The pizzas!" Mikey cries, diving down and catching them. While the pizzas are saved, Lexi falls to the ground.

She snorts. "That's all you care about." She rubs her head. "As my skull is shattered into a million pieces right now..."

Mikey looks down at her. "Oh, hey, Lexi."

I hold out a hand to her. She smiles and takes it. "Thanks, Leo." Before I know it, she has embraced me into a hug. As emotionally hurt as I am, I still manage to hug her back. She instantly pulls away and looks at me worriedly.

"Oh my gosh," she stumbles. "Does it hurt your chest when I hug you? I'm sorry, I totally forgot about your wound."

I look at her confused, and then shake my head. "What? No, I'm fine." I shift my eyes from hers to the floor a few times. "I'd rather you not stand ten feet away from me like I have a chronic disease."

"Well eat up," she says.

"I'm not that hungry actually," I admit. "Mikey made me a smoothie and that pretty much filled me up."

"So Lexi," Mikey begins, stuffing a few pieces into his mouth. "How was your date with Noah?"

"It was fine," she says quietly, shrugging. She looks like she wants to say something else, but she shuts her mouth.

"Did he try ta kiss you again?" Raph asks, crossing his arms. "'Cause if he did, then I'm gonna-"

"I'm going to bed now. Goodnight," I say quickly, heading down the hall.

"Wait," Mikey calls. "But it's not even six!"

 **LEXI'S POV:**

"Why'd he run off so fast?" I ask, looking down the hallway. I feel hurt and disappointed that he would leave so quickly.

"I don't know," Raph says after a moment. But he won't look me in the eyes. It's like he knows something, but doesn't want to tell me. I feel my eyes begin to tear up but I blink back the tears. I can't cry. Not right now. I just nod.

"So how _was_ your date with Noah?" Don asks. He screws in the last few things into the keyboard he's fixing. Wrapping the cord around it, he looks up at me.

"It was great." I pause. "Noah tried to kiss me again. I stopped him though. We kind of struggled for a while, but eventually solved it. I guess I know that he does like me, and he knows that I _don't_ like him."

"How did he take it?"

"He was hurt at first," I begin, rubbing the back of my hands. "But I told him that I like you-know-who." Don and Raph know about my feelings for Leo, but not Mikey.

We all turn towards the youngest turtle to see if he'd heard. Each of us let out a breath of relief when we see him leaning forward as he intensely tries to beat zombies on Survival City.

"Come on! Why won't you die?" he screams.

"They're zombies, Mike. Zombie's ain't supposed to die; they're already dead," Raph points out.

Mikey rolls his eyes. "In real life, maybe. But in the game, there are hundreds of ways to kill them."

"How many have you discovered?" Don asks.

Mikey is silent for a moment. He then mumbles something under his breath.

"What?" Raph and I both ask in unison.

"Two..." he repeats.

Raph snorts. I whack him and shoot him a look.

"Which ones have you discovered?" I ask Mikey softly.

"Hiding..."

"What's the other?" He doesn't show any sign that he's heard me. "Mikey."

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?" I don't want to tell him that I know all 107 ways to kill the zombies. If I make that mistake, he'll never leave me alone.

"Raph's gonna make fun of me," he mutters.

"No he won't," I say. "I promise."

"Hey," Raph defends, holding up his hands. "Don't make promises about me that I probably won't be keeping."

"Throwing watermelons at them..." Mikey mumbles. Without even looking away from the turtle, I chuck at pillow at Raph. I hear an 'oof'.

"That's really creative, Mikey. Even I didn't know that one," I comment, smiling.

"It doesn't kill them. It just slows them down," he responds.

"In a real zombie apocalypse, where are you going to get a life supply of watermelons? Where would you even put them?" Raph teases.

"Raph, don't," I warn.

He snorts. "What are you gonna do? Throw a watermelon at me?"

There's a silence, besides Mikey's game.

"So...how's Leo doing?" I ask, clasping my hands together.

"Honestly," Mikey begins, looking closer at the TV. "If you ask me, he's really bummed about you not liking him. He is in _love_."

We are all silent. I stare at him.

"Hm?" I mumble. "What did you say?"

"He's literally bummed out all the time-especially since Noah came along," Mikey responds. "Dang it...where'd my last watermelon go?" There is a pause, and he jumps back at a zombie "Oh crap, where'd he come from?"

"I mean, I know I've been spending more time with Noah..." I say, but I feel like I'm talking to a brick wall.

"Where's my watermelon?" On the screen, it shows the zombie picking up the melon. "Oh crap, no, that's mine! Don't you dare go about stealing my defense mechanisms! I don't care how dead you are, I don't show sympathy!" The zombie smashes it to pieces and tosses it into a lake nearby. "NO! Bad zombie!"

"I mean," I begin. "He's still my best friend. I don't want him to feel like Noah's replacing him..."

"Oh," Mikey laughs, shaking his head. "He's definitely not afraid of that. He's afraid of Noah becoming your boyfriend."

"Mikey, don't," Don growls, shooting him a look.

I look from Donnie to Mikey to Raph. "What's going on? What are you hiding?"

"Nothing," Don says, too quickly.

" _Something_ ," I state. "Mikey, what are you talking about?"

"Leo likes you," he mumbles, eyes glued to the TV. "Ugh! I have no defense methods left!"

I groan and take the remote, guiding him to a tree nearby sprouting watermelons.

"Yes! A watermelon tree sent from the heavens above!" Mikey exclaims.

"Now tell me what you're talking about. Are you still teasing me about that whole Leo thing? Because we aren't dating," I say, crossing my arms.

Mikey laughs. "He sure wishes you were."

My mouth drops open and I look at the others.

"Is this true?" I ask them.

"Um..." Don says, looking nervous for the first time ever. He makes a break for the hallway, and I chase him down.

I tackle him to the ground. "Stop trying to find an easy way out of this! There isn't an easy way out when I know something I don't know and I don't even know if I'm supposed to know what I don't even really know!" I pause. "And why am I not supposed to know?"

Donnie groans. "Lexi...get off of me..."

"Not until you tell me what's going on! What did Mikey mean? Tell me, brain-boy!" Don groans and his eyes flicker to Raph.

"Raph, a little help here, please."

"Wait, what?" Raph picks me up. "Put me down!"

Donnie looks at Raph for a moment and then hurries down the hall, entering the lab and shutting himself in.

"You let him get away!" I exclaim. "Raph!"

"Fearless likes ya," Raph mutters, shutting his eyes and covering them with his hands. "He's gonna kill me for tellin' ya..."

Leo likes me? Leo _likes_ me. Leo likes _me_.

"How long have you guys known?" I ask.

"A while."

"How long has he liked me?" I ask.

Raph stares at me. "I'm gonna leave that to him to tell you."

"He's never gonna tell me!" I complain. "Never! Not unless he knows that I know. And if he knows that I know, he's gonna wonder how I know. What am I supposed to tell him?"

"Ya aren't gonna say anythin' right? Ya aren't gonna tell him that Mikey told ya?" Raph asks.

"Why? I thought you _wanted_ to see Mikey pummeled to the ground," I say.

"I do," he responds. "Just not by Leo. Trust me, Leo ain't gonna be happy. He'll ever tell us anything again."

"You know that Mikey is probably gonna let it slip that I know, right?" I predict, crossing my arms.

"I will _not_!" Mikey defends, pausing his game. "You people have really poor expectations of me!"

"Do whatever ya feel like you should do," Raph says. The three of us hang out for another hour or so. I say my goodbyes to Raph and Mikey, and I find myself peering down the hall. Leo's room is so close. Maybe I can just say goodbye. Maybe I can tell him how I feel.

I stand there, debating whether or not I should talk to him.

Leo or leave.

Leo or leave.

Leave, or see Leo.

I sigh and exit the lair.

 **A/N:**

 **OH MY GOSH I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOREVER TO POST THIS. FINALLY LEXI KNOWS (and of course, Mikey was the one who told her. Big surprise)**

 **Now, we've got a lot to dissect here. First of all, now you can kind of see why Noah had been pursuing Lexi. It was because not only did he like her, but he thought she liked him back. She had kissed him back when they kissed (because she was confused), so it makes sense why he would be confused about all of that. Again, he isn't a bad guy! He just really likes Lexi. And I know he sounded really rude when he was telling Lexi she can never have a life with Leo, but think about it, this is Noah: he's only being logical. He knows that she'll never be able to have a real life out in the world with Leo. He's also hurt too - it's a defensive mechanism.**

 **And listen, it's REALLY hard to friend-zone someone. So this isn't easy for Lexi. Believe me, I've friend-zoned so many of my guy friends before and it is HARD. So it's difficult for Lexi, just as much as it's difficult for Noah.**

 **It's also difficult for Leo because he doesn't know that Lexi just friendzoned Noah because he doesn't know that SHE LIKES HIM BUT NOW SHE KNOWS THAT HE LIKES HER WHOA ALL OF THAT HAPPENED SO FAST.**

 **Speaking of that, I really want to say this: that whole scene about Lexi finding out about Leo's feelings was actually inspired by a scene from one of my FAVORITE fanfictions I've ever read. It's a Leonardo love story on called "Opposites Attract" by Aster Sapphire. If the scene seemed familiar, then that's why. I am by NO MEANS AT ALL trying to steal Aster Sapphire's ideas! I want to first off, recommend her story because it is AMAZING and I literally never get tired of reading it. Secondly, I want you all to know that i try my very hardest to make my work as original as I possibly can. But reading other fanfictions gives you ideas, naturally, to contribute to your own story. But i feel like since that one scene was so similar to the one in "Opposites Attract", I just wanted to call some attention to that and let everyone know that I am not stealing her work and that I by no means want to take credit for that idea. I obviously did write the scene myself but as schemas often do, I wrote it, inspired by the scene from her story that I had scene. Clearly, they have their differences because they are two different stories from two different authors. But I was inspired by that story. So I recommend reading it and i just want everyone to know that I am not trying to take credit for the idea, but rather take credit for my writing. I got the idea for that scene from her story, but I did write the scene myself. This is my book and everything in here I write myself. But naturally, I am inspired by other things.**

 **Good? Good.**

 **I'm so sorry for the long A/N...and for the long chapter in general. I hope you enjoyed it! Thank you for reading...and we'll see soon how things turn out for Lexinardo(:**


	13. Graduation & News

**Leo's POV:**

"Does anyone know where Raph is?" I ask, looking around the room.

We are all sitting at the table, eating the pancakes, eggs, and bacon breakfast that Mikey has made us. Master Splinter is reading the newspaper, Mikey is rinsing off the remains of the pancake batter, and Don is doing a crossword puzzle as he takes a bite of his food. Casey had come over earlier to give Raph an old punching bag, but he wasn't there. So Casey lies on the couch—still holding the worn out bag—watching T.V.

"I don't know," Don admits, looking up. "He wasn't here when I woke up this morning." He takes a sip of his coffee and Master Splinter clears his throat.

"I think I heard Raphael speaking about attending Miss. Kress's graduation," Splinter informs.

"Wait, Mallory graduates today?" I exclaim, raising my eye ridges.

"And Lexa graduates tomorrow," Casey says, glancing over at me. "Ya miss a lot when you're stuck down here."

I roll my eyes. "Well they forget to send the messenger pigeon to the sewers." I mutter.

Mikey takes this opportunity to plug his video game controls back in and put in the game 'Survival City'.

"Well I've been thinking about it," I begin. "And...I think I might try to tell Lexi how I feel."

"Awesome, Leo!" Don says, smiling. "I'm glad you're thinking like that."

"Yeah, the two of you would be an awesome couple," Casey encourages. I smile and flush a little, but I shake my head at that.

"I'm not thinking that far. I mean, I doubt she likes me back."

"So what if she doesn't? It ain't like that Noah kid has a chance with her either," Casey points out.

I flinch and I feel a slam in my heart. Noah. Noah is the obstacle that I just can't get past. He is like a trench or a crevasse: I can't get to Lexi without somehow crossing over Noah without a bridge or a ladder or anything. I can try to jump my way to her, but chances are, I'll just fall and get hurt.

"I keep forgetting about him..." I say quietly, shaking my head. "Maybe telling her isn't such a good idea."

"No, don't think like that!" Don exclaims, putting his plate away and leaning on the counter. "Please, don't think like that!"

"Yeah," Mikey says, leaning forward as he kills some more zombies with some bombs after doing a code with his controller. "I mean, it's not exactly a secret anymore."

Everyone is silent.

My mouth drops open and I'm not sure if I'd heard him correctly.

"Wait...what?" I growl. "What?"

"Um..." he stumbles. "Well...uh..."

"What?"

"Um..."

"Mikey," Don says, beginning to back away. "I'll remember you during the zombie apocalypse."

"Uh oh..." Mikey says, dropping his controller.

"Donnie, get back in here!" I growl. Donnie swallows and slowly heads back towards the counter. He leans forward, keeping his hand placed on the pots and pans that are set aside, as if it is going to be his next defense method if I lash out.

"Uh..." Donnie begins, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well...you see...um...the other day...well..."

"Dude, you are in trouble..." Casey sings, snickering into the couch. I toss a pillow as hard as I can at him. He grunts and holds his chest, where I hit him.

"Shut up, Casey..." I growl, turning back to Donnie. "What?"

"Well...the other day...uh...someone may have let it slip...that you liked her. And...she might...know now," he mumbles slowly and quietly. My eyes widen.

"What?" I shriek, and Donnie grabs two pans from the cupboards. "Don't kill me; it was Mikey who said it!"

"Mikey!" I shout, heading towards him. He screams, and rolls himself up into a little ball.

"Don't kill _me_! I was in the video game zone! Survival City—I didn't know what was going on!" he whines, rocking back and forth. "Don't kill me..."

"I trusted you guys!" I exclaim. "I trusted that you wouldn't say anything!"

"Come on Leo, it wasn't that bad! She didn't freak out or really even say anything negative!" Donnie tries. I glare at him and turn towards Mikey, crossing my arms.

" _You_ tell me what she said," I order. " _You_ won't sugarcoat it."

"Hey!" Mikey says with a pouting expression. "Why are your expectations for me so low?"

"Mike, I think that was a good thing," Casey points out.

"For Leo it is," Don agrees. "But technically for Mikey is simply means that he says things all too easily even if they aren't meant to be said. He doesn't always have the most brains and when it comes to hurting the feelings of others unintentionally—"

"Donnie!" I exclaim, glaring at him. "Stop. I _don't_ want to hear you stalling right now. What is going on? And when did this happen? And _why_ wasn't I told?"

"Because we knew you'd react like this!" Mikey complains, crossing his arms. "You're acting really mean and scary."

"Well I _wonder_ why!" I retort, sarcasm dripping from my voice. "It's not like you told the girl I love how I feel, and you've kept it from me for how long now?"

"We didn't tell her that you loved her—just that you liked her!" Mikey corrects, like it makes any difference.

"You aren't answering my question," I growl. "When did she find out?"

"You never asked that!"

"I've been asking that for five minutes, idiot!" I argue. I feel anger boiling up inside of me and I don't know how long it will be until I explode. If I haven't already.

"No you didn't! I never heard you ask specifically when she found out!" Mikey complains.

Donnie sighs. "It was an indirect question."

"It was a self-explanatory question," I say, glaring at Mikey. "Now answer it!"

"I don't know," he whimpers. "Like...a few days ago." I am about to ask how many days ago, when Donnie pipes in.

"She found out on Tuesday night, right after you headed back to your bedroom. She wanted to know why you left so quickly and she seemed really worried about you. She asked how you were doing and it went from there. Mikey let it slip that you liked her and after lots of questions, the truth came out." He pauses. "Any more questions?"

I cross my arms tightly around my chest.

"Yes; what did she say?" My voice is bitter.

"Well," Mikey begins, glancing over at Donnie. "When I first realized that I wasn't supposed to tell her, I tried to stall and change the subject. Then Donnie tried to run off and she tackled him to the ground." He laughs and sits up. "It was actually kind of funny how important it was to her. She was like ripping his brains out piece by piece."

Don rubs his head and glares off into the distance. "She kept punching me and telling me to tell her what was going on."

If I wasn't so angry at my brothers right now, I would have laughed. That sounds like Lexi when she wants to know something. But why was it so important to her? Maybe it's because I'm her best friend. And she already hates the fact that Noah likes her and they have been best friends. Maybe she never wants to see me again.

"Then, Raph pulled her away and Donnie ran to his room like a scaredy cat. Then Raph admitted that it was all true and that you were gonna kill him when you found out," Mikey explains.

I laugh without humor.

"He is _so_ lucky he isn't here right now..." I mutter, shaking my head. "Then what?"

"She wanted to go and talk to you, but she never did," Mikey says.

Donnie nods. "I saw her look towards your room multiple times before she left—like she was debating with herself whether or not she should go talk to you. She ended up just leaving after a while."

I'm silent. I don't know what to think of all of this. When I'd texted her just yesterday, she'd acted completely normal. In fact, she was making me laugh and I was making her laugh. But maybe that's it: maybe she was texting me just to avoid actually talking to me. What if she never wants to talk to me again?

"Leo," Don says gently. "I know you're mad. And we know that you probably hate us right now—"

"I don't hate you guys," I admit, shaking my head. "I'm your older brother and you're pretty hard to hate." I pause. "But I'm just kind of hurt, you know?"

"I'm sorry, Leo..." Mikey says quietly. I look over at him. He is sitting on the ground, looking up at me with his big blue eyes. "I'm really sorry." I can't stay mad at him. I can stay mad at myself for telling them—but I can't be mad at them for telling her. Because what else did I expect?

I sigh. "Tomorrow's going to be a long day, guys..." I mumble, shaking my head. My chest still hurts, but I don't think that it's because of my injury: it's because I feel hurt inside. And scared...and rejected even though I haven't even been rejected yet.

I feel my Shell Cell buzz.

 _Lexi: I just embarrassed Mallory soooooo much! Raph mystically showed up and it was weird but I took him to the graduation and it was AWESOME! Well...it IS awesome: I'm still here. In fact...it just started an hour ago, but you know. We're gonna be eating soon. Raph's hat almost flew off and it was hilarious because he like grabbed it dramatically and the people around probably thought he was some crazy trench coat guy who was overly attached to his fedora hat. That sounds like me in the 6_ _th_ _grade. :/ Well, anyway. Sorry this is such a long text: I can't have much of a conversation right now, but I just wanted to fill you in on what's up. I'll talk to you later—I gotta go. :)_

* * *

"You look incredible, Lexi," Mallory exclaims, shaking her head and smiling.

I smile at her and although I try to refrain, I can't help but glace at myself in the mirror. My hair is down and natural, and my eyes are looking more blue-green than usual. It's weird to think that I've been dreaming about this moment since I was a little girl, and it's finally here.

"Thanks," I say, smiling at myself in the mirror. "I look so different." Rose had offered to do my makeup for me. My normal makeup consists of mascara, eyeliner and sometimes lip gloss. I like to keep things simple.

I slide my phone into my pocket. "It even has pockets!"

"That means you can shove all the after-party snacks into your dress and you can leave," Mallory adds, grinning. "I mean, that's what I did."

"Your dress didn't have pockets."

"That didn't stop me," she says, her eyes lit with mischief.

I roll my eyes and laugh. "Taking all the food and leaving early. That couldn't sound more like you."

"Well if you do that," Benj says, fixing his tie, "remember that snickerdoodle is my favorite."

I laugh. I feel genuinely happy and slightly nervous. The weather has already reached 70 degrees and it's only 7:20. I obviously didn't get the best of luck today when it comes to the weather.

"You can thank me for making _all_ your makeup waterproof," Rose says. She puts her hands on her hips. "Do you know how difficult it was to find waterproof liquid eyeliner? Close to impossible!"

"Well at least you won't have to worry about ruining your makeup when you fall on your face," Benj says, grinning.

There's a knock at the door, and Mom rushes to open it. When she does, there's an energetic-looking April, with a discombobulated Casey Jones. His hair is sticking up at the back and he's trying to fix his tie, which looks like it's about to fall off his shirt.

I laugh, and my eyes lock with Leo's. He averts his eyes from mine and brings them to the floor instead. I scrunch my eyebrows. What's wrong? I inwardly sigh and try to brush it off.

"Alright, there are two cars-" Mom begins, and Mikey cuts her off.

"I wanna be in the King car!" he screams, jumping up and down like a little kid. I laugh and look over at Leo.

"I'll ride in the other car," he says, and turns to his brothers. Again, he doesn't meet my gaze.

There's a stinging sensation that comes from deep in my chest, and directly into my heart. But I can't show that-not on my graduation day. All these people have come here to celebrate, and I'm not going to pout. So I blink back the tears that are threatening at my eyes.

"I'm gonna go down to the car," I say quietly, and without a word, I slip out of the room.

My head leans against the window of the car. When I hear the door open, I don't look over. I'm so lost in thought-but I don't want it to show. I don't want it to show how much Leo is hurting me. Yet, at the same time, I want him to know.

The car engine starts, and I sigh. I'm _not_ going to pout on my graduation day. I've been taught better.

"So," I say, letting out a breath. "Are you guys sweating yet?" When I look over, I see that Mallory is driving, Mom is sitting behind the driver's seat, and Rose is behind me. In the further back, I can see Benj, Mikey and Raph. Our seating arrangements are always so unpredictable and I love it.

After about five minutes, we've arrived. I glance at the clock, which reads 8:10. Mom looks and rolls her eyes.

"We're ten minutes late to when they originally wanted us to be here," she states. "Typical."

Mallory grabs my arm, and drags me along and soon enough, I'm not being dragged. I'm afraid of being late, so I pick up the pace.

"Daniel Karringway," a man in a suit and tie reads from the paper. A boy raises his hand and says, "Here."

"Michael Karr," The man says, and another hand goes up. Mallory shoves me forward.

"They're in the K's," she says. "Good luck. Don't trip." After her last bit of advice, she makes her way off into the crowd. I turn towards the group of teenagers and wait for my name.

The ceremony goes as slowly as any graduation would. I almost laugh when I remember how boring my elementary school promotion had been. We'd sat there for almost two hours, listening to poorly written two minute speeches by ten year olds who didn't know what half the words they'd said meant. I remember Noah trying to mouth phrases like "Get me out of here" or "I'm hungry". He even started singing songs underneath his breath. He had been the only reason I hadn't fallen asleep.

"These young people are going places. They are our future. Our-" The headmaster of the district is cut off by a vibration on the ground. There's a brief silence. "Our hope. Our-" Another shake of the ground, harder this time.

And then there he is.

He looks like a nightmare come to life. Something that I've seen in my dreams, but always woken up to, telling myself that I'm fine and safe.

He looks just as strong.

He looks just as angry.

And he looks just as ravenous as before.

And I have a hunch that he still wants to kill me.

My eyes widen and I grip the sides of my chair. No. No he can't be here. Not at my graduation; not anywhere. There is a machine gun, but it doesn't look like he's planning on using it. His facial expression is stiff and almost robotic. There is a silence.

"Alexandra King." Those two words stab me. His voice is void of any friendliness.

I feel my knuckles turn white as I grip the chair tighter. I want to keep my head down. I want to look at the floor and hope that if he starts looking, he will just scan past me. But I can't even listen to my own orders. The moment I look up, his eyes find mine.

Darkness. All I see is darkness. He wants me dead and he wants to do it. And the scariest part is I don't know why. He wants me dead and I have no idea who he is. Talk about first impressions.

"Away from the stage," he demands. My eyes flicker down to his gun. If he isn't using it now, it will surely be used if I don't obey. I stand, feeling the eyes of hundreds on me. A few whispers even.

"You will come." His voice almost makes me step forward. But I don't.

"You won't hurt my family or anyone here, right?" I say quietly.

"You will come. No questions. I have the authority to kill you."

"Then why haven't you done it?" I'm really testing my luck right now, aren't I?

Before I can do anything, the gun is in his hands and points directly at me. I hear a shot and my agent training jumps in. I swing at him, kicking the gun out of his hands. I roll over towards the back of the chairs as a defense. I don't even hear him get up before the gun goes off again. Some people scream and some begin to run.

The man grabs me by the arm. I feel the shadow of the man rise above me and when I look up, I see the gun has been tossed out of his hands, and he's all the way across the stage. I look over just in time to see a man in a trench coat grab my hand and guide me behind the surplus stacks of chairs. Leo.

He has his arms around me, in a protecting manner.

"Leo-"

"Lexi, whatever you do, don't go with him. He could experiment on you, hurt you, kill you. Just don't go with him, okay? Do you hear me?" Leo speaks so quickly that I can hardly understand what he's saying.

"Wait Leo, what are we going to do?"

"We'll figure something out. April and Casey ran down to the lair to get our weapons-"

"But there are people in danger!" I am hysterical. Leo takes my hands and looks into my eyes with pure determination.

" _You_ are in danger, Lexi. He wants to kill you. This is one of those times where you need to think about protecting yourself. Please." His voice breaks. "For me."

I start to say something, but before I can, something jolts me back.

"Leo!" I shriek. A hard force is pressed against my head and I fall into blackness.

Utter blackness.

 **Leo's POV:**

She's gone.

The majority of the crowd has been ushered out. I see police talking to the headmaster. I'm numb. My wound has reopened but I don't care. She's gone. The girl I love is gone and I treated her like crap his morning.

I didn't mean to. I was scared because she knows I like her. But I'm ashamed of myself for not showing it in a normal way - instead, I just avoided her at all costs.

"Leonardo!" a familiar voice calls. I turn around to see Agent Serena, hurrying towards me. She looks worried. "Where's Alexandra?" I open my mouth but nothing comes out immediately.

"She's gone." Silence. "They took her." I can't cry-not here. Not in front of all these people. I glare into the ground-the same ground Lexi had been standing on just moments ago.

"Leo," Raph says. "We'll get her back. All of us." I swallow and try to nod. But I'm numb.

"I just...I could have stopped him. Now, we're standing here and we have no idea where she is. She could be dead!" I hold my hands to my head. "Dead! And I'm the one who killed her!"

"You didn't kill her, and she's not dead," Emmeline says sternly.

"Leonardo," Splinter says. I set my jaw. How on earth can he be so calm?

"Leonardo, I know you are concerned. We are all very worried. But one thing is known: we will not find her by blaming others; that includes blaming yourself. None of us could have stopped this man, but we can retrieve our friend and bring her back to her rightful place with us. We need to work as a team and make each other stronger as we search." His words should mean something to me.

They have to.

 **Lexi's POV:**

I wake up in a cold, dark room. It's so dark that I can't tell if I'm really awake. When I hold my hand up in front of my face, I can't even see it. My mouth is dry.

The graduation. I've been taken. Leo...Leo is there and I'm captured. I sigh and put my head in my hands. Leo: my protector. Leo: the guys that I feel no matter what will be there.

I suck in a breath. Leo: the one who broke my heart this morning. I want to kick myself in the stomach for remembering that. I've been kidnapped for crying out loud, and I'm concerned about the way he avoided me.

In an instant, the entire room is blasted with lights. I shriek and cover my eyes with my hands, ducking towards the ground. I can feel my eyes begin to tear up from the sudden brightness and I can't see anything.

"Well look who we have here." The voice is unfamiliar but female.

"Are you trying to _blind_ me?" I mutter. I don't trust my voice to say anything after that.

"You're a smart alec, I see. I don't work well with those."

"I don't work well with people who kidnap me," I shoot.

"Who says I'm a person?" I stay quiet after that. "I could just be a freak...like your reptilian friends." I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. "What? Cat got your tongue?" I feel the urge to shoot back with something sarcastic.

"I assume that you're wondering why you're here." I'm silent. "Alright, no answer, no desire..."

"I was at graduation," I retort. "Couldn't you have kidnapped me at any other event? I'm still in my dress!" I just can't keep my mouth shut, can I? She chuckles darkly and I hear footsteps. The sound makes me flinch. They sound human...was she exaggerating?

"Poor you. Now tell me; how sure are you that your little friends will come and save you?"

"110%."

"How sweet," the voice coos. "Are you hoping your little boyfriend will come save you? Little boy blue?" I'm silent. "Cat got your tongue again?" Those have officially become my least favorite words. I dig my fingernails into my palms to keep from saying anything.

"Don't feel bad though. I'm pretty sure he'll be running after you. I don't doubt your positivity." I still don't say anything. "I might as well get to know you better as we wait for your little boyfriend to come."

"He isn't my boyfriend."

"You sound disappointed." I don't reply. "So tell me about this..." She pauses, like she's expecting a name.

"Nice try, lady. I'm not telling you his name."

She sighs. "Fair enough."

"Hey where's that guy with the machine gun? You'd better tell him he scared a lot of innocent teenagers straight out of high school."

"They might as well know what the real world is like," she responds.

It's still a wonder how I'm being so calm. Maybe it's the fact that I know the turtles are coming. I have practically trained myself to think they'll always come to the rescue. It's unhealthy and unreliable but it keeps me calm. At least I'm not screaming and crying. But I know that if they never show up, at least I'll die thinking that they are coming.

I suddenly don't want to talk anymore. I just want to fall asleep and wake up to Leo carrying me back to the apartment. I want him to confess his feelings.

But he can't. I have to sit here in my ripped graduation dress on a dirty, cold floor and wait for a rescue that might never come. I bite my lip and want to look up and ask the lady if she'll turn the lights back off. But I know she'll just laugh and tease me. So I sit with my eyes shut, and listen. I listen to the sound of my breathing, I listen to the sound of my heart beat.

And then I freeze.

I can't hear her breathing.

Without thinking, I turn my head.

I scream.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'

 **Leo's POV:**

"Mom, I doubt that she has her cell phone with her. And if she does, they probably took it," Rose reasons, but I can hear her voice shaking. I would try to comfort her if I wasn't so scared.

"Plus, she's wearing a dress; where would she even put it?" Mallory asks, but then she pauses. "She's wearing a dress..." She shoves Noah from his seat on the computer and pulls up a file. "Her dress has pockets! And the pockets blend into the dress! They'd never guess it!"

Emmeline types in the info to locate Lexi's phone. "I've connected! She's an hour and a half away in an..." She offers a confused look. "In an Ikea."

"Does it say exactly where?" April asks, getting closer.

"No, but that's good enough for me." Emmeline logs out and grabs her keys.

The drive there takes longer than it should have, due to Friday night traffic. But eventually, we arrive at the Ikea.

"Where is she being held?" There is a silence. Noah gets closer to the building. He looks up and down, like he's trying to measure something.

"She's underneath."

"Excuse me?" April says, raising her eyebrows. "Underneath the building?"

"There's an elevator...stairs...passageway, something. Something that they took her to." Noah pauses. "It could be used as a lab."

"A lab?" Raph and Casey both exclaim.

"What, are they gonna experiment on her?" Raph demands. "They can't! We destroyed the last of the mutagen a year ago!"

I remember something.

"There's still mutagen," I say quietly. "Lexi told me. It wasn't all destroyed."

"Well what're we gonna do?" Casey asks, swinging his hockey stick up and over his shoulder. "We can't just stroll into an Ikea and say, 'Hey our friend was kidnapped...do you have an elevator?'"

"Or maybe we can..." Rose mumbles.

"What?" Casey looks exasperated. "No, we can't."

"Yes," she insists, shoving our backup trench coats and hats into our hands. "We can. Saving people isn't always ninja and secret. Sometimes, you just need to use your brain."

The next thing I know, we're strolling into the Ikea with trench coats and formal wear. Emmeline catches sight of a few of the workers and she pulls out something from her pocket. She says something and then motions to us. A few moments later, the workers lead us to an elevator at the back.

"What did you say to them?" Don asks Emmeline.

"I told him I was from the NYPD," she explains. "A badge and an assertive persona can get you places in life."

"Okay guys," April begins. "We don't know what's beyond these walls. We need to be ready, okay? Weapons out."

The doors open, and there's silence. Absolute silence. Then, from a distance, I can hear a struggle. And laughter, but not the good kind. The demented kind. The kind that comes from someone who lives and thrives off of causing pain.

Casey sprints to the place where the screams are heard. We come to a door. He tries to open it-it's locked. He growls and bashes to the door with his body, but it hardly makes a difference.

"Ugh..." Rose mutters, pushing past Casey. "You're supposed to use your foot, you dummy." She lifts her foot up and kicks down the door. "If you ever want to impress someone, know how to kick down a door the right way."

We hear another scream. We bash through the doorway and stop immediately. A beast-like figure that looks more like a walking alligator than anything stands there. Next to the reptilian stands a man. I've never hated anyone more than this.

In the grip of the man is Lexi. His hand is wrapped around her throat and he has the gun to her head.

Raph kicks the gator off its feet. That's when the fight begins. The man's gun drops from Lexi's head as the reptile's fall affects his stance as well. He drops Lexi, and Mikey swoops down just in time to catch her.

"You okay, babe?" he asks, and I can see her shaking. She wraps her arms around his neck and hugs him.

"I knew you guys would come." Her voice shakes. "We need to get out of here. There's no point in fighting them."

"Raph's already started the fight-" April begins.

"Well we can't let him finish it." She lowers her voice. "We need to leave. Now." Casey gets hold of Raph, and we make a break the other direction.

As we run, I toss back boxes of things to slow our enemies down. We all pile into the elevator and Lexi hits the floor button multiple times. She sinks to the ground and puts her head in her knees. I want to comfort her, but I can't do that very well.

The elevator doors open and I hold out a hand for her to take. She locks eyes with me and then bites her lip before taking it. I want to hold onto her hand for longer, but neither of us does so. We both pull away in an instant and I feel like I'm missing something.

Lexi doesn't make any comments about how she'd been held captive at an Ikea. No jokes, no comments, no witty observations. This worries me.

In the car, I glance back and see she's leaning her head against the window. Her eyes glisten with fear even though we're packed away safely. She knows things that she doesn't want to know. She's seen things that she's never wanted to see.

Multiple times, Mallory takes Lexi's hand and mumbles something to her, but the majority of the ride is silent. No music, no laughter, no conversation. I watch the sky darken through the dim windows of the car. By the time we get back to the apartments, it's late. But before Emmeline parks, she backs out and begins driving again.

"Where are we going?" Benj asks.

"Taking Lexi to the lair," Emmeline replies softly.

"I'm staying with her too," Mallory says. Nobody disagrees. I don't know if it's because we're too tired, or they just know it's for the best. As we drive nearer to the lair, Lexi is placed in my arms. I carry her to the lair in silence.

"My sons..." Splinter says, arms open to us.

"She's a little shaken," Don says solemnly.

"Emmeline wanted to keep Lexi here for the night," Mikey explains. "Then Mal wanted to come."

"We're kind of a package deal," Mallory says, rubbing her neck. "Sorry."

"It's quite alright, my child. I wish you a fulfilling rest. Where do you plan on sleeping?"

"They can take my bedroom," I offer, shifting Lexi so she's lying more comfortably. "I'll sleep on the couch."

"Very well." Splinter turns. "I will best be getting my rest as well. I wish you a calming night."

"Goodnight, father," my brothers and I all mumble.

Raph rubs the back of his neck. "Uh...Mal, I'll go get some blankets for ya."

I carry Lexi to my bedroom and place her onto my bed. I can't help but stare at her for a minute. Her face is tear-stained, and that gives me the feeling she'd been crying silently on the way home. I bite my lip and touch her hand.

"Ya never got to tell her, did ya?" Raph says. I glance over and see my brother placing some blankets down for Mallory.

I sigh and look back over at Lex. "No," I say. "I guess I didn't."

After I've said my goodnights, I head into the living room again. I sit on the couch for a few moments because I know I won't be able to fall asleep. I try to watch TV, but that doesn't work. I try to eat something, but I'm not hungry. I read a little, but that only makes me a little bit tired. Not enough to sleep.

"You came for me." The voice is so sudden and so close that I jump. Turning my head, I find Lexi standing there. Her arms are crossed and her eyes seem to glow brighter in the dim light.

"Of course I did," I mumble. "I would never leave you." We are both silent. She knows about my feelings for her, so why am I afraid now?

"Then why were you ignoring me this morning?"

"Lexi, I really didn't mean to. I just..." I pause, scratching the back of my neck. "It's just that...Mikey let it slip that...you knew that...uh..." I sigh.

"That you liked me," she finishes softly. "I'm not surprised."

"What, that I like you?"

"No, that Mikey told you I knew," she corrects, laughing a little.

I chuckle too. "Yeah, I guess I'm not surprised either." We are both silent. She walks towards me and takes a seat on the couch next to me.

"I _am_ surprised that you like me," she says quietly.

"I don't know how someone couldn't." I pause. "I'm surprised you aren't terrified."

"Leo."

"I'm serious." I shake my head. "How long did it take you to get over it when you found out? How many times did you throw up?"

"Leo-"

"I mean, I know you're acting all nice about it now, but I'm sure when you first found out, you were absolutely mortified."

"Leo..."

"I just can't help it, you know? I've never really felt this way about anyone and you've seriously just-" And then her lips are on mine. My eyes widen. Had I kissed her? No...no, she had kissed me!

For a few seconds, I don't know what to do. She's kissing me. She pulls away after a few moments, and I'm left speechless. My mouth hangs open.

"Leo," she says, quietly but firmly. "I feel the exact same way about you."

There is a silence.

"Hm?"

"Yes," she says, chuckling. "I...uh...couldn't find any other way to get you to shut up. Sorry."

"Oh," I say. "That's...uh...alright."

"Not that I didn't want to kiss you! I mean, I did. Sorry if you didn't though..."

"Oh, no, I did! I'm just, uh..." I mumble. Why can't I make words come out of my mouth? Normal words.

"Shocked?"

"Yeah..." I nod. "I mean, me? You chose me?"

"I didn't really choose," she says slowly, enclosing her hand in mine gently. "It just sort of...happened." We stare at each other for a moment. In fact, I don't even know if we are staring at each other or just thinking of ways to savor the moment.

"I'm glad it happened then," I whisper. Her lips twitch into a smile. And then it happens again.

I wrap my arms gently around her waist and I feel her softly place her hand on my cheek. I've waited so long to kiss her. To be able to wrap my arms around her and tell her how I feel. And I can finally do that.

She feels the same way. I smile and hold her tighter. My wound has reopened in the fight I'd gone through to get her back today, but my heart is mended completely. She is worth it. She has always been worth it.

 **A/N: HEY OKAY YES YES YES I KNOW IT'S BEEN FOREVER SINCE I'VE UPDATED, and from the length of this chapter, you can probably see why.**

 **My life has been so hectic and so busy lately. I've been balancing the stresses of school, life, relationships, and everything else that comes in the package of being a human being. I appreciate those who have continued to support and read this story, especially as I haven't posted in a while. It means so much to me.**

 **Yes: Lexinardo have shared their feelings with one another(: but that does not mean that the story is to end yet. As with any story, there will be more problems and hard decisions to make. But now, Lexi and Leo can get through those together, still maintaining a relationship. I really hope whoever is reading this hasn't lost interest in the story!**


	14. Laney

I wake up absolutely exhausted. My mouth is dry and my entire body aches. Without even opening my eyes, I feel something different. I'm not in my bedroom.

That's right...yesterday I graduated. Or tried to. I smile. Not because we made it out alive, but because of something else I remember.

Leo and I kissed. I find myself grinning. Leo likes me, and I like Leo. And we both know that now. But we aren't dating. No, I don't work like that. We can't just kiss and automatically become a couple. He needs to ask me properly.

I hear someone stir, and I glance over and find Mallory sprawled across the floor with blankets everywhere. I laugh at her red bouncy spirals of hair floating everywhere but in place. She snuggles into a blanket and settles back down, still asleep.

I'm still in my graduation dress. I know that my hair is probably a wreck. Combing my fingers through it won't do much but frizz it even more but that's okay. After yesterday's hectic adventure, I don't expect myself to look picture perfect. But I am satisfied with myself for always having a ponytail holder around my wrist.

I comb through my hair some more with my fingers, just enough that it won't be tangled when I actually have to brush it later, and I gather it up into a bun. There isn't a mirror in Leo's room; not that I expect there to be. So I head out of the room, hoping I look decent.

"Good morning, Lexi," a voice says as I enter the kitchen. I look up and see it's Donnie. I give him a tired smile and nod.

"Hi, Don. Got any bread?"

"Always." He slides the bag of wheat bread over to me.

"Where is everyone? And what time is it?" I ask.

"It's almost seven. My brothers and I just got done training with Tatsuo and Splinter," Don explains, as I place my bread into the toaster. "They're all probably showering or getting ready."

After my toast is ready, I sit on the couch and watch tv until the rest of the turtles trickle in. I want to talk to Leo about last night, but I can't do that with everyone here. I glance over at him to see he's already looking at me. He smiles and takes a seat next to me.

For the next hour or so, everyone just does their own thing. By the time it's nine, Donnie is fully awake and working on one of his experiments in the lab. Mikey has retreated to his video games. Splinter is in his room meditating and Raph has gone back to sleep.

"So..." Leo says quietly. I look up at him and his hazel eyes melt into mine curiously. "What are we?"

I grin and cover my face with my hands. "You did not ask the cheesiest question you could've ever asked."

He laughs and nudges me with his shoulder. "You should be used to my cringe by now." His face softens. "I'm assuming you want me to ask you properly sometime to be my girlfriend?"

I grin and laugh. "With a ring and everything."

"Right," he says, returning the grin and turning back to the television.

* * *

"You said that you learned some interesting information while held captive," Serena begins. "Have you shared this information with anyone yet?"

"No," I admit, shaking my head. "I didn't know when the right time would be."

"Is this information a possible threat?"

"Yes."

"Then the right time would've been as soon as you learned it." She pauses. "It's been three days and you still haven't told anyone?"

I bite my lip. I don't know what to say. "Sorry."

Serena sighs and shakes her head. "We'll gather everyone immediately and you can tell us what you know." She is about to walk off to announce her order over the intercom, but I stop her.

"Wait!" I say, more forcefully than I meant to. I take a breath. "Um...I'd feel more comfortable if the entire Headquarters _didn't_ hear me tell the information." I don't know how emotionally stable I'll be; this is just a precaution.

She turns and faces me. "What do you suggest?"

"My family, the turtles, Noah and a few lead Agents, like you. I'd also like to request Doctor Faulkner." I'm surprised at how confident I sound.

She purses her lips for a moment, and then gives a single nod. "Alright." She turns and walks off before I can reply.

"Lex," Leo's voice. "Serena said we need to meet in the Conference Room. Is everything okay?"

I smile half-heartedly. "Yeah, everything's alright. I just need to tell about what happened Friday. The stuff I learned."

Three days have passed since Leo and I revealed our feelings for one another. He'd kissed me one other time since that night, and it was a small goodnight kiss on Sunday night. We aren't official yet. I've been trying to figure out if Leo is just trying to think of a really creative way to ask me, or if he's just ditched the idea all together.

Once everyone is gathered in the Conference room, the blinds are shut and all faces are turned towards me. I feel under pressure.

"The majority of you probably know that I was attacked on Friday, and taken away," I begin. I pretend that Leo is holding my hand and whispering encouraging words into my ear. "I was taken to the underground portion of a building." I tell the story about how I woke up to a dark cell.

"The basis of all of this is that I learned so many things that could put New York in danger." I pause. "There's...there's a group of people. They aren't really even people. They used to be. Some never even were. I guess I should start from the beginning of it. I witnessed some strange things."

"This agency I've discovered is called the RBMC: Russell Burgess Metamorphosis Center. This center is run by a man named Russell Burgess. He's a mad-man as they described him, but they can't say that to him. He controls their every move. He mutates people and things."

"What makes him different from the ooze that mutated the turtles is that with his mutagen, he can control minds. It does in fact make them have supernatural abilities."

"I have a question," One of the agents says.

"Ask."

"Are all of these mutants...well...reptilian? Or do some look like humans?" As he asks the question, I flinch.

"The more dangerous ones look human." I pause. "The man who kidnapped me...he looks human. But he has ridiculous strength and speed. He has the power to kill in just one punch." I turn to the turtles. "That was why I warned you guys that we couldn't fight them when you saved me."

"Did you meet this Russell man?"

"No," I say. "Everything about him is just what I heard."

"Thank you for the information, Agent," Serena says, standing. "We'll get back to work now."

I watch everyone disperse. I've rubbed my hands almost raw, nervous.

"What did you leave out?" Leo's voice asks from behind me. I pause, close my eyes and then slowly turn around to face him. I continue to rub my hands, even though a few more seconds and they could be close to bleeding.

"What do you mean?"

"You did a weird little hesitation thing."

I raise my eyebrows and cross my arms at an attempt to appear confident. "A weird little hesitation thing?"

"When you want to say something but you hesitate, you do this think where you breathe in really sharp but then you close your mouth again." He nods once. "A weird little hesitation thing."

"You're more observant than I thought," I say, laughing a little. "Can you tell my blood type just by looking at my ears too?" He stares at me with a small smile on his face but an expectant look on his face. And it's for a reason too: he's right. I did leave something out.

He brushes my hair out of my face and tilts his head so he's looking into my eyes. I blush and look down. He's so close that I could just lean in and kiss him. Yet at the same time, I know I can't.

"Why'd you leave something out?" he asks softly. I open my mouth-ready to tell him-when Rose pops her head through the doorway.

"Hey Lex, it's time to go home," she says.

My face reddens when I realize she is noticing how close Leo and I are standing to each other. Great, Lex. Not suspicious at all.

"I can take Lexi home," Leo offers.

"Oh," Rose's voice sounds teasing. "Okay. I'll tell the others."

After my sister has left, Leo and I head home. We are almost to the apartment when he brings it up again.

"So...are you planning on telling anyone what you're hiding?"

"You."

"Me?"

"You. I'm planning on telling you."

"Okay," he begins. "What's the big secret?" He squeezes my hand tighter and I smile. But the smile quickly vanishes when I think about what I'm hiding. How can I say it without getting shivers sent down my spine? "Hey you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No, no...I want to tell you." I pause. "While I was there...I met a mutant. She looked human and everything. She scared me, Leo..." I try to blink back tears. "Her name was Laney."

"What did she look like?"

"She would look like any normal girl. Straight brown hair, freckles and rosy cheeks." I pause. "Only her eyes were different. One eye was blue and other was green."

"She kept trying to look me in the eyes, and I couldn't help but keep looking into hers. Then she asked me something weird. She said, 'How would you like your eyes like mine?'" I pause and swallow, feeling the fear rise up in me just like it had the first time. "When I asked her what she meant, she said, 'They would look so very fine.'"

"She kept saying weird things that rhymed. It went from a friendly conversation to feeling like I was being cornered. Then she kept getting closer and closer. Her eyes turned black, Leo. Just...pitch black. And I couldn't help but look. I literally couldn't look away." We reach my apartment just in time for the tears to spill.

Leo embraces me into a hug. I shaking uncontrollably.

"Leo...Leo her eyes have haunted me the last three nights. She's been in my dreams. I have her stupid chant memorized and I feel like I'm going insane," I sniffle.

"Shh...Lexi, it's okay." His reassuring voice calms me down a little bit.

"But Leo..." I pull away. "What if I _do_ go insane? What if I go crazy?"

He pulls me into another hug. After about five minutes, I've stopped crying. I pull away from him and sniffle. He shakes his head and wipes away my remaining tears.

"Lexi..." he says quietly. "I know you're scared. But everything is going to be okay. We're going to put a stop to this man and all those people that he's hurt."

I nod a little, and rub my eyes.

He looks at me for a moment, and then leans in and kisses me. I needed it. He takes one of my hands and puts the other on my cheek. I feel all my fear wash away as I kiss Leo. After a few moments, he pulls away and leans close so only I can hear him. Not that there's anyone else in the room anyway.

"You're okay."


	15. The Art of Coming Clean

I love seeing the turtles act like the brothers that they are. Mallory and I walked into the lair, somehow unnoticed by the brothers, and I can't help but smile to see that all the brothers are in the front room, playing video games together. I love catching them hanging out voluntarily just because they're brothers.

Mallory and I glance over at each other and try as quietly as we can to sneak around them. Leo keeps sticking his hand into Mikey's popcorn bowl, but Mikey keeps pushing away.

"Leo!" Mikey whines, trying to dodge Leo's hand. "This is my popcorn."

"May I have some of your popcorn, Mikey?"

"No."

There's a silence, and then Leo catches Mikey off guard by reaching over again into Mikey's popcorn bowl.

"Leo!" Mikey exclaims. "What was the point of asking if you were gonna take some anyway?"

"To be polite." Leo grins. "C'mon, Mike. You don't need all that popcorn."

"Well neither do you," Mikey mutters. He raises his eye ridges at Leo. "If you ask me, you've been gaining a bit of a belly."

Mallory and I blow our cover by letting out laughs at that.

"Hey girls," Donnie greets, pausing his section of the game to come greet us. We both groan and turn towards each other. "What?"

"You guys were working together so well," I say, crossing my arms. "We didn't want to break the moment." Leo chuckles and pauses his portion of the game too.

"You interrupted nothing more than a conflict about the rightful owner of the popcorn," he says, shaking his head.

"Which is _me_!" Mikey reminds. "And I have a feeling that that conflict never would've been solved thanks to Leo and his selfishness."

"And it's not like we _never_ spend time with each other," he defends. "We do things like this all the time; you guys just aren't here to see."

"Exactly," Mallory says, as Raph pauses his game. "We never get to see it, so we wanted to let the moment last."

Mikey groans when the last of his brothers gets up and leaves.

"Come on!" he whines. "Someone play with me." Mallory jumps onto the couch and snatches a controller.

"Get ready to cry, Michelangelo..." she teases, as she starts the game. I chuckle and head back towards the turtles.

Leo locks eyes with me and smiles a bit. Donnie departs, saying that he needs to work on one of his blueprints, and Raph sits next to Mallory. Leo casually takes my hand.

"I want to show you something," he says quietly. I tilt my head curiously, but follow him down the hall. We enter the dojo and he pulls out his sketch book from a corner of the room. He hands it to me and I take it, sitting on the ground. He smiles and takes a seat in front of me.

"I drew some new pictures and I thought that since you're so interested, you might want to see them."

I grin and flip through the pages gently as I can. One of the newer pictures is a drawing of a waterfall. It's crazy accurate. I turn the page and see another drawing, but this time it's of Mikey playing video games.

"Mikey wanted me to draw something," Leo explains. "He said I could draw anything but he wanted me to draw it for him. Do you think he'll like it?" The details are very accurate from the video games to the expression on Mikey's face. I grin and nod.

"He's going to love it," I say, turning the page. Page after page, amazing drawing after amazing drawing...and I get to the last one. It's a drawing of he and I, but tape on the side is a picture that we'd taken at the Farm House. It was when our friendship had first begun to grow. In the picture, I have one arm around him and I'm grinning a ridiculous, amusing grin. He's laughing in the picture.

"Leo..." I mumble, stroking the drawing with my fingertips, as if the action will bring the picture back to life. "This is so beautiful. It's perfect." I look up at him and he's already looking at me. His eyes find mine and I realize I could live a thousand lives inside those eyes and never want it to end.

"Lexi, you have changed my life so much. I really could never tell you that enough." He pauses and cups my face with his hand. His touch sparks my skin and lights my heart. "And I'm sorry that this isn't the most creative way, but Lexi, will you be my girlfriend?" The look on his face breaks my heart - he looks afraid that I'm going to say no.

I step closer, take his face into my hands and pull him into a kiss. He immediately melts into me and slides his hands around my waist with no hesitation. When we pull away, I remain close to him. I feel his warmth and know that he is mine.

"Leo, of course I will be your girlfriend." I lean close so our foreheads are against each other's. "Of course."

Life sucks. But Leonardo has made life suck a lot less.

 **Leo's POV:**

"Come on in, guys," Emmeline says, opening up the window. "Lexi's almost done with the food." It's a Friday summer evening so naturally, as good family friends, we want to spend some time with one another.

As we walk in, the instant smell of potatoes and chicken sifts through the room. Benj sits on the couch with Mallory, and they are watching Spongebob. Mikey instantly joins them. Donnie takes a seat on the couch and begins talking to Rose a bit. Raph seems a bit awkward since the only people he generally is really good friends with are Lexi and Mallory. The table is nicely set, but there isn't any silverware set yet.

"I can get the silverware if you want," I offer, glancing over at Emmeline. She smiles and sets down the pot of flowers that she has been carrying.

"Thanks, Leo." As I head towards the kitchen, I notice that the door and windows that lead to the kitchen are completely shut. I glance over at Emmeline, and she simply waves her hand in dismissal.

"Don't mind the closed doors," she says. "Lexi wanted to be able to cook without anyone bothering her."

I nod my head and open up the door, shutting it behind me. I open up the drawer and scoop out enough silverware for everyone. I find Lexi near the sink, chopping celery to put in the salad. The food smells even more amazing here in the kitchen, since it's where the food is initially being prepared.

I smile as I watch her sing along to the music she's playing. Coming up from behind her, I wrap my arms around her waist.

"Hey, love." Turning around, she laughs and sets down the celery. She pecks me on the lips and wraps her arms around my neck for a hug.

"Hey you," she says, smiling as she pulls away. "Man, you'd think by the shut doors and windows that visitors are unwelcome in this kitchen."

"Am I an unwanted visitor?" I ask, tilting my head in curiosity. She laughs and shakes her head.

"No," she says. "You're always wanted. It's just video game boy that was bothering me." She's referring to her brother.

"He's not exactly playing video games anymore," I explain. "Everyone's watching Spongebob."

Her mouth drops open.

"Wow..." she mutters. "Everyone waits until I'm gone to actually do something fun." I chuckle and she begins to chop the celery again. I look at her for a moment and then tilt my head.

"What was he doing anyway?"

She sighs and puts the celery down for a minute. She puts a hand on her hip and looks at me for a moment.

"They're getting suspicious," she says quietly, looking down.

"About what? Us?"

"Yeah." She picks the celery pieces up and sprinkles them all over the salad. "I mean, apparently we've been acting 'more couple like' whatever that means. Why don't we just tell them?"

"Okay, how would we make the announcement? Just walk out there and announce, 'Hey, by the way, we're dating if any of you wanted to know,'" I say, and she laughs a bit.

"I know..." she mumbles. "But...it's weird, you know? We still haven't told anybody."

"We'll find the right time..." I say. "I promise. Now I gotta get out of here—I kind of said that I was coming in here to get silverware and nothing else. Do you want me to come back to talk to you some more? I'm sure you get kind of lonely in here..."

She waves her hand in dismissal.

"Naw, you go on ahead. I've got my music." I can tell by her voice that she is slightly disappointed. She doesn't want to be keeping a secret like this from her family—and neither do I with mine. And in some ways, I'm confused at myself for not telling them. What's the point of hiding it now?

"Don't worry," I say. "We'll tell them soon, I promise."

She smiles and I lean in for a kiss. The kiss is short and sweet and I hold her chin with one hand. When we pull away, she ushers me out.

"Get on out now," she says. "Shoo, shoo."

I roll my eyes. "Pushy girlfriend..."

As I exit, I'm surprised to find Rose standing directly outside of the kitchen. I flinch back when I shut the door and see her there, standing so close to the door.

"Um...hi."

"Leo and Lexi are dating!" she shrieks. Everyone's heads look up, wide eyed.

"Wait, what?" Benj and Mikey both exclaim.

"What?" I say, turning back towards Rose.

"Don't act like you don't know," she says, pushing me. "I saw you two kiss just now! I went in there to ask if dinner was ready soon and I saw you share a little smooch." She pushes me teasingly away and I shove her away.

"Stop it."

"Nope! I saw it with my own two eyes!" she says, turning towards everyone. "Leo and Lexi are dating!" She then turns back to me and pushes me again. "How long have you been hiding this from us for?" I shift my gaze from the crowd of eyes that are looking at us in anticipation, to Rose, who is looking with satisfaction.

I make an abrupt turn and open up the door to the kitchen.

"Lexi?" I say, and she turns around to face me.

"Yes?"

"The people know."

"We know your precious secret!" Rose shouts. "Come out and confess!"

"I'm making a salad!" Lexi shouts back. "I'll talk about my love life later."

"So how long has it been?" Emmeline asks, grinning.

"Since Wednesday," Lexi says, coming out of the kitchen with plates of food. "Now can somebody help me with the food?"

"By somebody she means you Leo," Mikey teases.

"Fly away my little birdy," Rose exclaims, shoving me. I almost fall off the couch, but I catch myself. I shoot a glare at her, but I help my girlfriend with the plates full of delicious looking foods. Rose fakes a sniffle and wipes away a pretend tear. She turns to Master Splinter and puts a hand to her heart.

"They grow up so fast don't they, Master Splinter?"

Splinter smiles and nods. "They do, Rosalie. I remember when Leonardo was simply a young child going through garage bins and finding empty toilet paper rolls. He brought them home and used them as swords."

"Master Splinter..." I mumble, my face heating up. Lexi laughs along with Rose.

"Awww!" Lexi coos, pinching my cheeks. "Little Leo's first set of katanas were toilet paper rolls? That's so cute!"

I wave her hands away and mutter a, "Whatever." She rolls her eyes and sets the last plates of food on the table.

After Emmeline says a prayer on the food, we all dig in. Lexi has cooked scalloped potatoes and chicken. The salad she has made has been poured into the biggest bowl I've ever seen.

"Why is there so much salad?" Raph asks with a mouth full of food. Master Splinter shoots him a look that clearly says to use his manners. He swallows his food, but that doesn't last long because soon enough, he's stuffing his mouth again.

"Why not?" Rose asks, passing the salad down. Lexi takes a seat right across from me and dumps some salad onto her plate.

"No one likes salad," Mikey complains, rolling his eyes. Lexi whacks him and glares.

"Excuse me but lots of people like salad," she points out, pouring a bit of dressing onto hers.

"What's so good about a bunch of leafy greens?" Raph asks. He stuffs some more potatoes into his mouth. I watch Splinter sigh in embarrassment for my brother. I scoop a generous amount of salad onto my plate and pass it on.

"Do you think that Leo is only eating the salad because Lexi made it and he now feels obligated to?" Mikey asks.

Lexi scoffs. "Leo was obligated to eat my salads even when we were just friends. Nothing has changed."

"Not to mention, I actually really like your salads," I defend, taking another bite of the salad.

"That's exactly what someone obligated to like her salads would say," Mikey points out, shaking his head. "You're a prisoner now, bro."

"His heart is held captive and he wouldn't rather it be any other way," Rose says in an overdramatic voice.

Lexi throws her head up into the air in laughter. "Why do you guys have to make our romance into a John Green book?"

"Lexi, I have read every single John Green book and I really don't think there were any mutant turtles as love interests." Rose laughs and shakes her head. "You guys are your own genre."


	16. A voice in the dark

"We've gathered our information about the RBMC," Dr. Faulkner starts. "The place they took Lexi when they kidnapped her wasn't their Headquarters. They knew that the turtles would come to rescue her, so they didn't want their central location to be exposed," he explains.

"Do we have any idea on where the headquarters could be located?" Mom asks.

"No," Dr. Faulkner admits. "They've pretty much sealed off all leads that may take us towards information on their Headquarters."

"The only reason we have this information is because we sent some spies down there to find out the basics," Donnie adds, shaking his head. "So we couldn't get that much information. Sorry."

"It's better than nothing," Mom decides, nodding her head at my siblings and I. "You three get back to work, please." I stand there for a moment after my siblings depart.

Lately Mom has been more urgent for us to get to work; especially after we have just been told something very important. It's as if I'm not allowed to ask any questions.

"Lexi what do you need?" she asks. I bite my lip and cross my arms.

"I need to ask Dr. Faulkner about something." I don't actually have something to ask; I just don't want to go back to work. What's she trying to hide from me? What doesn't she want me to know?

"You can ask me," Mom says. I set my jaw, narrow my gaze and abruptly turn on my heel and walk towards my desk. I don't like to not know what's going on. I know what I know but somehow that isn't enough. I feel like there's more to know and I'm not being told.

"Lex," A voice says. I keep my head down and fumble with my Profile Reports.

There have been more reports from the Foot Clan than usual and that has been really worrying me lately. I constantly keep in mind what the turtles repeatedly tell me about how Karai has been acting differently. At the Headquarters we'd actually managed to catch a few video clips of Karai and the Foot Clan, which has never happened before.

"Lexi." The voice comes again. By now, I know it's Leo. But I'm so stressed and confused right now; I can't even look at him. I hear a sigh and feel him take a seat beside me.

"Hey," he says, brushing a stray piece of hair behind my ear. I almost shiver at his gentle touch. I bite my lip and freeze a bit, staring at the desk and waiting for him to say something.

"I know you're upset. I don't why...but if there's anything I can do..."

"I don't know why things are being kept from me," I interrupt.

Leo's forehead scrunches together, and he looks confused.

"What do you mean?"

I bite my lip. "I feel like...I feel like my mom doesn't want me to be a part of something. Like...like she's hiding something from me. It seems like every time we do something important or talk about something that really matters, as soon as it's over, it's like she doesn't want any questions to be asked."

"She just cares about you," Leo insists, squeezing my hand. "She loves you and is very worried. She just wants you to be safe." I open up my mouth, like I want to say something to defend my point but I realize Leo is probably right.

"Yeah. Yeah I guess you're probably right. I'm just over thinking things..." I mumble, shaking my head. "Thanks for...thanks for being here." He smiles and ruffles my hair a bit.

"I should head home to check on Master Splinter. Noah should be there but last time I checked, he was sorting something out in Donnie's lab." He bends down and gives me a quick kiss. We have been dating now for two weeks and pretty much the entire Headquarters knows. Thanks to Rose, it isn't exactly a secret anymore.

"When will I see you again?" I ask, raising my eyebrows curiously. He chuckles and encloses his hand into mine briefly.

"I'll stop by the apartment tonight, okay? We can watch a movie."

I smile and nod. "Okay. I'll see you then, Leo. Tell Master Splinter I said hi."

He nods and squeezes my hand again before heading off.

I turn my head back to the Profile Reports and my eyes widen when I realize that they aren't really Profile Reports. After observation, I come to the conclusion that they are reports about the people that had been mutated back at the RBMC. I bite my lip and feel my forehead crease again.

"Dr. Faulkner," I begin, storming up to him. "I thought that you said you didn't know anything else." He's about to ask what I mean, when I hand him the papers. His eyes widen for a brief moment, and then he looks up at me apologetically.

"I'm sorry Alexandra," he apologizes. "I know that I should have told you about these. I didn't know they'd be delivered to you. We just...don't entirely know the stories on the mutants yet so we didn't want to give you incorrect information."

"Incorrect information is still information," I point out. "Do you not trust me?"

"Of course we trust you," Donnie begins, and I cross my arms, turning towards him.

"You knew about this too? Donnie!" I exclaim, shaking my head in disbelief. He sighs and looks at me firmly.

"Lexi...there are some things we can't share with you for your safety. We're still struggling to find the reason that they want you out of all people. We want to keep you safe," Don explains.

"Well I don't think that hiding things from me keeps me very safe." And with that, I turn on my heel and head back to my desk. I hate getting things kept from me. Hate it. I've always had trouble with that, but I can't help it.

I take a seat at my desk and my eyes trail over to the papers again. My fingers skim across the reports a few times. I bite my lip and feel my stare seeping into the papers. They had landed on my desk for a reason—I'm supposed to look at them. But somehow, when I pick them back up I feel like I'm not supposed to look.

I groan and toss the papers back onto my desk. My arms cross against my chest and I sit there glaring into the papers. What's the big deal? What would it hurt to simply skim the reports? It surely won't danger me in any way, will it? I bite my lip and let out a breath, shaking my head to myself.

"I'm way too stressed about this..." I mutter, putting my head in my hands. I sit like that for a good five minutes or so. I just sit there thinking. The part of me that really wants to look at the papers is fading away and the more I think about it, the more I want to shred the reports. They're making me angry.

So standing up, I take hold of the papers and place them on Mom's desk, which is empty at the moment. I'll let her look through them and then I won't have to worry about it. I don't know why I suddenly don't want to look at them. It might be just because I know I shouldn't...but it might be because of something else.

I'm afraid that Laney will be in the Reports. She still haunts my dreams constantly. In the dreams she usually doesn't do much to give me a reason to be afraid. In fact, most of the time she just stands there talking to me about things that I never remember once I wake up. Her eyes are never that black color in my dreams like I'd seen on her. I always feel fear-struck whenever she's talking to me in the dreams. This overwhelming feeling of fright fills me and I won't want to say or do anything because I'm afraid that if I do, then her eyes would turn black again.

My cell phone rings. I'm interrupted from my thoughts. Picking up the phone, I notice that it's Noah calling. Things are still a bit awkward between the two of us, but it isn't something we can't tolerate. We are still friends and we can still joke around. I don't know whether or not his feelings have faded away yet but I don't really mind that much, now that I'm dating Leo.

"Lexi," Noah says once I answer. "Okay, I've been doing some research on the Epidemic lately and I found some things that we didn't exactly know before."

"Like what?" I feel glad that he's telling me this. At least _somebody_ doesn't feel the need to hide anything from me.

"Okay," he begins. I can hear some papers being shuffled around. "Do you want the bad news or the good news first?"

"Just give me the information you have." I really don't want to play that 'good news/bad news' game because no matter how great the good news is, the bad news almost always weighs it down and wins.

"The Epidemic is in fact contagious. And unfortunately, no matter how much of the cure we have, once you have the disease, there's a 95% chance that you'll get it again even after you're cured."

"95% chance?" I cry, shaking my head. "How can we fix that?"

"To my knowledge, we can't. There were hundreds of people that were infected with the Epidemic. Our studies have shown that after about no longer than three weeks, you are likely to get the Epidemic again."

"What on earth could the good news be then?" I wail, shaking my head. Hadn't we been absolutely positive that the cure was 100% affective? I feel like all of our hard work had been a waste of time.

"The majority of the time—put aside from those rare occasions—if you do happen to get the Epidemic, if you get it treated within an hour of getting it, then it won't return. We've actually had some really great survivor stories and the news is actually interviewing a lot of the people who recovered, asking them what it was like to be able to hear but not move."

"I think that's kind of rude of them," I admit. "I mean it's fascinating to hear about things like this and survivor stories, but these are people that were practically dead for a long time—they don't deserve microphones getting shoved in their faces. They deserve a reward or a Starbucks Gift card or something..."

Noah laughs from the other end.

"If only we could give out Starbucks gift cards to hundreds of people," he agrees, slightly teasingly.

" _I_ would take it," I defend, crossing my arms and shrugging my shoulders.

"Of course you'd take it," he teases. "You'd take it and then demand a Barnes and Noble gift card, tickets to One Direction and a beach house just to top it all off." I laugh and roll my eyes.

"I would _not_ ," I disagree. "What would I do with a beach house anyway?" I can see Agent Serena giving me a look from the corner of the room. I bite my lip and mouth a 'sorry'. She's fine with me taking calls during work as long as they are brief or about important information.

"Anything else?"

"Uh yeah...you know how you said that Karai has been acting differently?"

"Yeah."

"How differently?" he asks slowly. I pause and think about it for a moment.

"Very different. According to the turtles, stealth _was_ her middle name. Now, we've been getting clips of her, which never happened before. They keep saying that she acts really distant and loopy a lot of the time." Noah doesn't say anything. "Why? Did you figure out something else?"

"Um...Donnie and I were out the other night, trying to collect some more samples of the Epidemic. We ran into Karai and she was acting really distant and she was mumbling a lot to herself. She didn't even put up a fight—just let us go. But something fell out of her pocket. A bottle of medication pills."

"Medication?" I exclaim, raising my eyebrows. "What kind of medication?"

"It's supposed to treat schizophrenia," he says. "It only had one pill left, and the date said that it's over a year old."

"Karai is taking year old schizophrenia medication?"

"Apparently," he states. "We don't know if she has schizophrenia or not though. Her odd behavior could be her body's reaction to the medication, which she possibly shouldn't be taking. We can't ask her though."

"I wonder what happened...how did she get it?"

"We don't know," Noah says. "We're still doing our research on the one last pill that was in the bottle. We might turn it into a local Health Office and see if there's anyone locally that's purchased the pills." He sighs. "Okay well that's it for now. I just wanted to tell you about all of this."

"I'm glad you did," I admitted, sighing. "I'm glad that at least someone isn't hiding anything from me." I don't mean to say that last part aloud.

"No one should be hiding anything from you," Noah says.

"Thanks. Okay, I should go now. I'm going to tell Serena about this information, okay?"

"Sounds good, Lex." Before he can hang up, I stop him.

"Noah, will you please tell Leo about Karai and everything? He should know as soon as possible." It's a dangerous move to ask Noah or Leo to interact with each other. They can be polite when needed, but they don't particularly like one another. Noah's feelings are obviously still present and having him even think about talking to my boyfriend is a dangerous thing. But I don't care. They need to learn to get along.

"Sure thing."

* * *

"The Karate Kid," I say, kicking my foot up dramatically. "The real one." Leo laughs as I slide the movie in. The coffee table is piled with bowls of popcorn and slices of pizza. Grinning, Leo slides an arm around me as the previews start.

"What do you mean 'the real one'?"

"They made this newer version back in like 2010 or something and it was kind of the Karate Kid of this generation. A lot of the younger kids liked it, but I knew what was up. My family and I always liked the original Karate Kid better."

We talk at bit and then the movie starts. Every five minutes or so, I share a fact about the actors or a difference between the newer version, and this version.

"I take it that you've seen this movie many, many times," he observes. I glance over at him—with a mouth full of popcorn—and cock an eyebrow. He grins at my odd facial expression, leaning forward and letting out a laugh.

"What makes you say that?" I ask, but it sounds muffled due to the popcorn that's in my mouth.

"You don't really seem that interested in the movie—just in stating random facts."

I bite my lip and face the T.V. again.

"Sorry, I'll shut up," I apologize. He laughs again and takes hold of my chin, facing me towards him. His hazel-brown eyes dance with amusement as he shakes his head.

"I like hearing your voice. As long as I'm with you, I don't really care much," he insists, and I smile and put my head on his shoulder. We face the T.V. again and surprisingly, I manage to bite back the facts and comments for the sake of Leo. It seems like he's really interested in the movie and I'm extremely surprised that he's never even heard of the Karate Kid before.

The movie is almost over with, when my phone buzzes. I'm so tired that I don't even look up. Leo glances over at me and chuckles.

"Your phone buzzed," he informs. I groan and pick it up, looking to see that I have a text from Mallory.

 _M: Girl, get over here n o w._

 _L: I'M WATCHING A MOVIE WITH LEO, I NEED SOME LEXINARDO TIME._

 _M: i think it's amazing that you and Leo are spending time together. Lexinardo time for the win. *holds up a flag with the two of your faces inside of a heart* But when are you gonna be done? This is important._

 _L: IS IT A BOY? PLEASE TELL ME IT'S A BOY._

 _M: Ya gotta come and see. ;) Now answer me!_

 _L: we're watching the Karate Kid. It's over in like 5 min but I was planning on spending more time talking to Leo..._

 _M: I am your BEST FRIEND. You make-out with him any time you want. This i T_

I slide my phone back into my pocket just as the movie ends.

"How'd you like it?" I ask, standing up. There is popcorn everywhere and half eaten pizza slices all over the coffee table. He lets out a breath and raises his eye ridges.

"That was really good," he exclaims. "Please tell me there's a sequel, though."

"There are two more movies after this with Ralph Macchio," I say, nodding. "We'll definitely have to watch them sometime."

"Definitely." After I pick up the popcorn off the ground, I catch him giving me a confused look. I sigh and toss the popcorn pieces into the garbage can.

"Mallory texted me saying that she wants me to come over pronto," I explain, crossing my arms. "I really wish I didn't have to go..."

"But she's your best friend," he finishes. I nod. "Have fun, okay? Be safe. Are you sure that you don't want me to walk you there? I really wouldn't want you to get kidnapped by the Foot or the Purple Dragons or something."

"I'll be fine," I insist. "If anything happens, I'll just press the emergency button."

Out of anxiety and fear that I'll get hurt, Mom had installed an emergency button on my phone, where when I press it, an alarm goes off throughout the entire Headquarters, all of my family's phones, and the Shell Cells. I begged Mom to just have the alarm be on the Shell Cells (to save me the embarrassment of having the entire Headquarters know that I'd been kidnapped) but she wouldn't listen.

"Okay," he says, embracing me into a hug. "I love you."

My heart stops (as does my breathing) and I begin to wonder if I heard him right. It seems like he tenses up right after he says it—like it isn't something he was planning to say. We have only been dating for two weeks...so if he feels comfortable saying it that shows that he's been in love with me for a long, long time. Just hearing him say it sounds so right. Pulling away, I look into his eyes and smile.

"I love you too," I say quietly. My voice sounds embarrassingly quiet and similar to when you are trying to speak while crying. But Leo doesn't seem to mind that. He looks surprised at first, but his surprise is soon replaced with a smile. He leans in to kiss me. With my arms still around his neck from the hug, I kiss back.

He loves me. Leo loves me.

Mallory's house isn't all that far from ours. It would take maybe ten minutes to walk if you took your time, but I manage to make it there in less than five. I feel like I have energy that could last for years. It's amazing how three simple words can change my entire attitude.

As soon as I approach the door, I hold my fist up to get ready to knock. But before I can do so, it's thrown open. Mallory stands there—her red spirals of hair all over the place, like she's been jumping around a lot.

"Good; you're here," she says, yanking me inside. The door is closed and she begins to drag me up the stairs.

"Why are you so jumpy?" I laugh as I say this.

"You remember that kid, right?"

I'm quiet and I give her a look.

"Which kid? There are lots of kids in this world _including_ you!" I tease and she rolls her eyes and shoves me. Although it's just a playful nudge, she often doesn't know her own strength. She snorts when I wheeze and nearly fall off the chair I'm sitting on.

"Come _on_ ," she exclaims, crossing her arms disbelievingly. "That was nothing!"

"You're stronger than you think..." I grunt, rubbing my arm. "Now tell me what you're freaking out about."

"Justin Monroe."

"That guy that you've liked since like January? Didn't you say you went on a date with him and it went really great?" I ask and she grins, nodding vigorously.

"We went on more dates after that, and eventually he kissed me. We've kind of just been like...we know that we like each other but we hadn't really done much about it. Finally, today we went to go get ice cream together and walk around the park, and he asked me to be his girlfriend!"

"Oh my gosh! That's awesome, Mal!" I exclaim, grabbing her shoulders, and just to tease her, I narrow my eyes. "But when did he kiss you and why wasn't I told?"

"It was a few weeks ago...I wanted to tell you, but I thought that with everything going on like with that RBMC and with you and Leo and everything, I didn't want to bother you."

"Are you kidding me? Your love life is just as important as mine. I care and I'm so happy for you! Now when do I get to meet him?" I say, and she begins smiling again. Mallory hasn't had a boyfriend since she was sixteen, and that ended when the guy developed feelings for a girl in his Stats class. Mallory was heartbroken and ice cream became our go-to meal for about two months straight.

"Um...I don't know..." She thinks for a moment. "I'm meeting up with him tomorrow, so maybe Thursday?" I'm about to agree, when I remember something.

"I can't on Thursday," I say. "I'm going to the zoo with Noah."

Mallory cocks an eyebrow. "You sure Leo's gonna be okay with that?"

I groan. "Why does everyone keep asking that?" I exclaim, shaking my head. "Why?"

"He _is_ your boyfriend," she points out. "And they aren't exactly best friends." Even though I agree with her about that, I shake my head again.

"Leo is is mature and wise and trusts me completely." It's entirely true, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't get jealous.

"You know very well that as much as he tries he's always going to get jealous. You know that, right?" Mallory verifies and I sigh, crossing my arms.

"We're here to talk about Justin Monroe, not Lexinardo problems," I state, which earns a slight chuckle from her. "Now tell me everything! What does he look like?" Her face turns from concerned to dreamy again.

"Well," she begins, playing with her hands. "He's really tall, like 6'1. He's got this cute dirty blonde hair that's all spiked up, but it has like these natural brown highlights. He's got these sizzling brown eyes and the cutest dimples ever."

"Sounds like the beginning of a Wattpad story," I tease, grinning. I gasp. "We need a shipping name!" I sit up straighter and think for a moment. "Hm...Justin and Mallory...Malustin? Ew, definitely not. Uh...Jallory? Possibly, but let's see if we have anything else. Um...let's see...Jallory Monkress should do for now I guess." Mallory begins laughing, her bright green eyes lighting up in amusement.

"Jallory Monkress?" She snorts. "That sounds like a poorly thought-out name for a laundry detergent."

For the next few hours, we spend the time laughing and watching youtube videos. We watch a few episodes of "The Twilight Zone" on Netflix, and it's almost one AM when I finally head home.

The walk back to my apartment complex seems longer than the walk to Mallory's house. Usually on a Summer night, the air is warm, but tonight it isn't. I feel all the laughter that had been inside of me suddenly fade away. I feel kind of alone.

The sounds of street lights have always really scared me. You know; that buzzing noise it makes, similar to that which you hear late at night when you're standing outside of a motel. The buzzing seems to block out all of the other movements and makes everything around you seem utterly still.

I wish that I'd asked Mallory to walk with me, but then I remember that she'd have to walk back to her house alone if I did that. I've never had to walk back to my place from her house so late at night. Usually at this time, if I'm not at home, I'm spending the night at Mal's. Even if there were a situation like this, Mom would never let me walk home at this hour. But since she's been spending so much time at the Headquarters, she doesn't know.

I feel cold all of the sudden. There's a breeze and I start to feel panicky. Glancing over my shoulder every five seconds, I try to pick up my pace. My foot keeps getting caught on a crack in the sidewalk every so often, but I keep my pace.

I try to think of the wonderful time I had with Leo tonight. We watched a movie, joked, talked...and he told me he loved me. That calms me down the slightest bit and makes my heart flutter. I feel like I want to just close my eyes, because I know that that will probably help me calm down. But in the streets of New York City at eleven at night, you need to keep your eyes open and alert.

Once I finally reach the point where I can see the apartment complex, I let out a breath of relief. I'm thankful for some people nearby partying, and for the cop cars that have rolled up to tell them about the noise complaints. I'm also suddenly pleased that the pizza shop, Tony's Pizza, across the street, is open until one. Any source of light that I can see makes me feel relieved. I'm not as scared.

It isn't until I have approached the apartments that I see something I hadn't noticed before. There is a man standing directly at top of the stairs of the complex. I freeze in my place. He isn't doing anything—just standing there. I'll have to pass him to get to my apartment, though.

You can't really see his face very well—it's hidden behind thick sunglasses. His skin looks pale white, but I'm not entirely sure if it really is, or if it's just the reflection of the streetlight that stands just feet away. Thoughts spiral through my mind.

Maybe if I call Mom then she could come down here and hit him with a baseball bat and we could call the police. No, Lexi, that is violence. Violence is exactly what we are trying to avoid. And I don't have my katanas with me—I didn't think that I'd need them. I was only planning on going down to Mallory's house. I guess I hadn't seen how late it was when I left: I was too focused on Leo.

The emergency button. If I just reach into my pocket and press the emergency button and stand here a little bit, hoping that he wouldn't do anything, then I would be safe.

Out of all of the reasonable possibilities and decisions I could have made, I choose the easiest but also the hardest one.

My feet slowly but confidently make their way up the stairs. I don't take my eyes off the man. I can't tell whether or not he's staring at me or not, through those thick, dark glasses. I swallow and just as I am about to pass him, I do another stupid decision: I stop.

I turn towards him. I'm right next to him now, and he still hasn't moved a single centimeter. Peering at his skin, I notice that it _is_ pale white. The palest skin I've ever seen. The closer I look, the more it occurs to me that I haven't even seen him breathe. His body stands there as still as still can be. I reach out and slightly push the arm a bit. It's limp: doesn't move, doesn't hit me...just falls limp.

I feel a burst of laughter fly up my throat. He's practically a mannequin—a doll...anything but a human. I smile and feel my nervousness go down.

"I am _so_ paranoid..." I mumble. Curiously, I get closer. Even though I can't see beyond the glasses, I try. I peer as close as I can into where the eyes should be. Never have I ever seen glasses this dark before in my entire life. I suddenly remember the first episode of Doctor Who with the ninth doctor: the one with the killer mannequins. I laugh again and take a step back, but I don't look away from the eyes.

Suddenly, I feel uneasy. It's like...although I can't see anything behind those glasses, I can't take my eyes off of them. Like I'm hypnotized. A feeling screams at me to look away. And I listen to that feeling.

I rip my eyes away forcibly and am surprised when my eyes begin to burn. It's as if looking away would cause me to be blind—it's like whatever is behind those glasses, is the most fascinating thing in the world and I suddenly want to take those sunglasses off.

I stare in through the glasses as close and long as I can, still not being able to understand why I find this so fascinating. After what seems like forever, I blink. Kicking the foot slightly, I find that it doesn't so much as budge a single millimeter. It's like the leg is screwed into the ground. I don't even bother to wonder why there is a mannequin screwed onto the top stair.

All I know is that after I have taken my eyes off of the face, I feel utterly uncomfortable. Without looking at it, I sprint up the stairs, down the hall and quickly unlocked the door, fumbling in. The lights are all off and I flick them on, shutting the door behind me and locking it. I swallow and take a few moments to recover.

Why is it that I feel so scared now, but didn't feel the least bit scared when I was actually standing in front of the mannequin? It's like an aftershock, almost. I shiver and let out a breath that I didn't even know I have been holding in.

I feel my legs trudge towards my bedroom. I throw my hair up in a bun, brush my teeth and lazily snuggle into bed. I take another deep breath and I don't even remember releasing it as I fall asleep.

* * *

"Hello?" I shoot up in bed.

The only thing I can hear is my heart beating against my chest. I blink rapidly and glance over at my clock. It's 3:03 AM. I had heard a voice.

"Hello?" The voice says again and I squeak. The voice sounds sing-song like...like a child.

"I'm here," The voice says again. I squeak again out of fright and shut my eyes tightly. Maybe I'm just dreaming. Or someone is playing a trick on me or something. Or something. I feel like I recognize the voice...but not completely. Like I've only heard it once or twice, but it already frightens me. Who wouldn't be frightened though, when waking up to a child's voice at 3 AM when there is no child in your household?

Five minutes of suspense have passed by and I don't hear anything after that. With my eyes still tightly shut, I throw the blanket over my head, in hopes that I'll fall back asleep and not wake up until everyone else is awake. But what seems like hours pass by and I still can't fall asleep. I check my phone to see that only ten minutes have passed.

Maybe I was just hearing things that aren't there. Maybe it was part of a dream that I had just been dreaming...a dream that I woke up to and don't entirely remember. It isn't an odd possibility that my mind is playing tricks on me; I faintly remember times in California when I would wake up in the middle of the night, still being able to hear the people from my dreams. It used to scare me a lot when I was little, but right now I really hope that that's the answer to all of this.

"There are no more of my kind, so your eyes should be like mine."

Laney.

I scream.


	17. Nightmare vs reality

"I swear, there was somebody in here!" I shriek, biting my knuckles to keep from screaming. My heart is still thumping loudly and I feel as if everyone can hear it too.

As soon as I'd screamed, my family had rushed into my room. Rose has called Donnie (she says that if anyone can solve this mystery, he can) and Mom is trying to calm me down. I am still shaking uncontrollably. I thought I'd never have to hear Laney's voice ever again besides in my dreams. And yet somehow, she seemed to be inside my room.

"The window's still sealed shut," Donnie notes, glancing over at me. "And the front door was locked too, along with the few windows out in the front room. There's no way anyone could have gotten in."

"But she was here!" I scream. "I heard her!" The rest of the turtles come piling into my bedroom, and Rose comes behind them. She must've called everyone else to tell them what was happening. As soon as Leo sees me, he doesn't waste a second before taking me into his arms. I continue to cry.

"Shh...it's okay..." he whispers, but even his soothing, reassuring voice can't calm me down now. "We're here, Lexi. Nobody's gonna hurt you." I can tell that he wants to say something else—anything that will completely calm me down—but he can't think of anything. I don't blame him though. Neither can I.

I continue to sob and Leo continues to whisper words like, 'It's okay...I've got you now' or 'You're alright'.

Usually when a little kid gets hurt, I notice that the thing that most adults would say is, 'You're alright, you're okay.' They won't ask, 'Are you alright?' They say things confidently like, 'You're alright.' I notice that that usually earns a better reaction from the kid, and that kid who got hurt feels more confident, like they start believing that they really are okay.

But I'm not a little kid. At the moment I feel like I am vulnerable and scared, and I know all too well that that wasn't a dream. I heard Laney's voice. And if she really wasn't in my bedroom, then she was in my mind. And that's really, really twisted. That's worse than her being in my room.

I try to say what I'm thinking, about how if Donnie is right and there was nobody in the room, then she was in my mind. But I can't talk, and when I try it just comes out as blubbering stutters. I bite my tongue so hard that I think I'll bite it in two, and take a seat on the floor. I hug my knees and bury my head in my arms, letting the tears fall onto my sweatpants. I shut my eyes so tightly that it seems like all of those tears that are still behind my eyes, have evacuated because my eyelids are closed so tightly. I focus hard to steady my breathing.

If I was listening, then I would be able to hear whatever Donnie was saying. I catch a word or two of it like 'RBMC' or 'mind-control' or 'research' but I'm trying to focus on Leo.

He holds onto me so tightly—like he's absolutely terrified to let me go. Like he is afraid that if he stops hugging me or takes his eyes off of me, then I will start bawling again. His breathing even sounds calm and I envy that he's able to be calm even at times like this.

I swallow and decide to try and speak.

"I think...I think it might've been inside my head..." I croak, trying to wipe the tears from my eyes. Leo is holding me so tightly that it's hard to reach my hand out to do so, so as if taking the cue, he loosens his grip on me, but still keeps his arms around me.

"That's the only rational answer, sweetie," Mom says, nodding. "It was just a nightmare, don't worry it'll—"

"No," I snap, a bit sharper than I'd plan. "I don't think that it was inside my head...I think that _she_ was inside my head." Everybody is silent. I probably sound like a complete maniac, but I don't care.

"I heard her and I know that I heard her. She said hello two times, 'I'm here' another, and then she started singing that stupid chant." My voice cracks a little as I feel the tears threaten again, just thinking about the song that gives me shivers. "I heard her and it wasn't my imagination. She wasn't in the room either."

"Lexi, you aren't making any sense," Mom reasons.

"Just listen to me, okay?" I shout. I'm almost surprised that I raised my voice at my mother. Ashamed that I'd yelled, I avoid eye contact with her.

"She wasn't in my bedroom and that's clear. And she wasn't my imagination either, no matter how much you all choose to deny it." I pause, thinking for a moment. I don't know how to say what I'm thinking. As if reading my mind, Leo takes my hand in his as if saying to take my time in my explanation. "Laney." I flinch back saying it and I make the expression like the name tastes bad in my mouth. "She was mutated and clearly has some supernatural trait about her. I think that somehow...somehow she's been haunting me."

"What do you mean by haunting? Like in your dreams?" Mikey asks, taking a seat on my spinny chair. I can tell that it's taking all his might and strength not to spin around in the chair.

"Lately yeah," I say. "I should've been able to forget her after a few days, but for the past two weeks she's continued to stay in my mind. She hasn't left. She still haunts my dreams." I pause again. "I went to Mallory's late at night last night. On the way home, I thought I would be fine. When I got to the apartments...there was a man standing up at the top of the stairs. I got really scared, but eventually, I drew nearer and noticed he was a mannequin."

"A mannequin at the top of the stairs?" Raph repeats, raising an eye ridge. "I think that we woulda seen that." I feel my eyebrows scrunch up in confusion.

"It's absolutely hard to miss," I state, narrowing my gaze. "He's literally on the top step."

I watch Mom tense up and I fix my gaze on her.

"Well we didn't see it," Raph concludes, glancing over at his brothers. "Did any of ya see it?"

"No," Mikey agrees with Raph. "I didn't see it."

"That's so weird..." I whisper, shaking my head. "It couldn't have gotten up and moved! Its feet were practically nailed to the ground!"

"Who would nail a mannequin to an apartment stair anyway?" Benj asks, shaking his head. "It just doesn't make any sense."

"Lexi..." Mom says quietly, biting her lip. "How long were you around that mannequin for?" I'm confused at her question.

"I don't know...uh...five minutes maybe? Ten? I wasn't really paying attention," I admit, rubbing the back of my neck. But then I take note of the grave expression on her face. "Why?"

She takes a deep breath and rubs her temples before answering.

"I got a packet from the Headquarters today—it said some of the mutants from the RBMC...there was a mannequin-like one in the packet." Anger fills me and I suddenly feel betrayed by myself. Why hadn't I read those reports? If I'd read them, they I would have immediately known the danger of it.

"What did it say?" I narrow my gaze. Mom sighs and heads down the hall. She comes back a few minutes later, with the packet in her hands.

"I didn't finish looking through it, so I brought it home," she says, going through the pages.

"I thought you weren't supposed to bring reports home from the Headquarters. Isn't it against the rules?" Benj asks and Mom shoots him a look, like she's offended that he would even ask that.

"I'm one of the most trusted people in the Headquarters," she snaps. "There are always exceptions." She turns back towards me, gently showing me a picture. "Does this look like him?" I flinch back. The picture shows a mannequin very similar to the man I'd seen on the stairs. All I can do was nod.

"Alexandra, that wasn't a mannequin..." She says in a low voice. "You ran into one of the most dangerous mutants out there." My mouth drops open and words refuse to come out properly.

"But...I...he...you...no...but..." I stutter, shaking my head. "What do you mean?"

"This mutant is known as one of the Maneuver Men. There's a large army of them in their Headquarters, and they're some of the most dangerous. Never look into their eyes. Looking directly into their eyes can drive you to insanity until you reach a state where you are physically and mentally useless," Mom reads and my heart begins to start quickening again.

"But he had sunglasses on..." I point out. "I couldn't even see his eyes."

"The sunglasses prevent immediate insanity. Generally they have sunglasses on because little by little it can be easily passed off as just natural insanity. They don't want to be caught."

"So the glasses protect you?" Mikey guesses. "You know, if you're the victim."

"Not exactly," Mom corrects. "Either way, looking into their eyes, protected or not, will result in a channeling that can cause insanity. Lexi, I think Laney was being channeled through the Maneuver Man."

"Awesome," I mutter. "That's awesome."

"They don't just go around killing everyone they see. They always have a reason to be ganging up on that specific person," Mom explains.

"Ugh!" I groan. "Why am I always the main target? Why does everyone want to kill me?"

"The Maneuver Men do tend to mess with your brain. They pretty much take away all common sense until you look away from them. Then, you get that uncomfortable feeling that you should get and you have time to hurry off."

"Does it chase after you?" Mikey asks, tilting his head.

"No," Rose says, taking the reports and inspecting them. "It says here that it can't move if someone is watching it. Lexi, someone was watching the maneuver man while you were running. Somebody saved your life."

"Wait what about security cameras? They have cameras here at the complex—how did the guy manage to get away?" Benj asks.

"They can mess with the electricity. I'm sure that it managed to shut off the cameras and escape," Rose says. "That means it's still on the loose."

"But how did it move?" I ask, shaking my head. "It was nailed to the ground!"

"It's supposed to seem like that when you see it, but when nobody's watching, it can go," Mom explains. I groan and pull at my hair out of exasperation.

"This is starting to sound like the Weeping Angels in Doctor Who!" I complain. "I really don't want Weeping Angels in my life right now."

"What's a Weeping Angel?" Raph asks, cocking an eyebrow.

"It's this alien that looks like an angel statue when you look at it, but when you look away or blink, it gets closer and closer and eventually kills you. It turns into a statue when any living thing looks at it, but the second somebody blinks, it gets closer. They also mess with the lights; similar to how this mannequin guy messes with the electricity. No one's ever been able to see what it really looks like though," I explain.

"That's because it's a T.V. show," Mom reminds. "This isn't a T.V. show, Lexi. It's real life and somebody wants to kill you."

"Maybe I want to know why everybody suddenly wants to kill me! I don't understand what I did! If you're so smart then tell me that." I spit. I instantly regret it, but I can't take it back anymore. Mom's face looks stern, but I'm glad that she doesn't scold me.

"We don't know," she says. "We're trying to figure it all out." There is a pause. Nobody says anything. "We can't do much right now, Alex. We've done all we can; now we have to wait. I'll go to the Headquarters early today to check out everything and see if Dr. Faulkner has anymore information."

"He does," Donnie inputs. "I just talked to him around ten o'clock tonight on the phone; he said that there's a huge new batch of information that have everything to do with the RBMC."

"We'll let you guys go then," Mom decides, nodding towards my brothers. "Thanks for coming over, it's always a huge help."

As Donnie and Raph start to leave, Mikey embraces me into a big hug and Leo slightly gets shoved to the side by him. The orange-clad doesn't seem to notice though.

"It'll be okay, Lexi..." he promises, hugging me. "Me and my brothers have got eighteen years of cowabunga ninjistu training." He karate chops the air and I laugh at the youngest turtle. He grins and pats Leo on the back. "Plus your boyfriend is the leader in blue; Fearless'll keep ya safe no matter what 'cause he loves you."

Leo slides his arm around me and kisses the top of my head.

"For once, he's right," Leo says.

"I guess Leo'll probably be staying here until sunrise," Mikey says, raising his eye ridges and grinning. "He won't let you out of his sight now."

"None of us will probably be going back to bed anyway," Rose admits, shaking her head. "Not after all of this."

"Really?" Mikey exclaims, cocking an eye ridge. "I'm going straight back to bed as soon as I get home. So what it's almost five AM? Usually we have training at six when Tatsuo isn't training us, but since Leo clearly isn't coming home, I'm sure we'll skip training."

"Or I can call Tatsuo to make a surprise trip down to the lair to train you while I'm gone..." Leo sings and Mikey's mouth drops open.

"No Leo, please don't!" The baby brother pleads, getting down on his knees. "We're teenage boys, we need a summer break too!" I laugh and pat Leo on the shoulder.

"He won't," I promise, smiling once more at the orange-clad turtle. "Now go get your rest."

"Oh I will." He jumps out through the window. "See ya, dudette."

I give Mikey one last wave and then let out a breath. I bite my lip, and then take a seat on the ground again. I lean against my bed frame and close my eyes. I feel Leo's presence beside me, as he sits next to me. My eyes stay closed for a few moments, but I find his hand and take it into mine.

We stay silent for a while.

I can't help but let out a laugh in spite of all of this. I open my eyes and look over at him, just to find him already gazing at me.

"Why does everyone want to kill me? When did I suddenly become the most interesting person in New York?" I shake my head. "If only I could've been this popular in middle school."

Leo raises his eyeridges. "Hm...yeah, I don't think the phrase 'I would kill to be her' was meant to be taken literally." When I laugh at this, he smiles and puts his arm around my shoulders. "Lex, I wish I had more answers for you. Believe me; I do. I wish I could help solve everything for you." He pauses. "Unfortunately, there are some things that I guess..." He pauses, again, struggling to find the right words to say. "I guess..." His forehead creases, and he looks frustrated. He finds my eyes, and immediately I see the sorrow within his own. His voice goes down to a whisper. "I can't always find the right words. But that doesn't mean that I don't think about you."

"Leo..." I say, shaking my head. "You being here is enough."

Now it's his turn to let out a breath and lean against my bed frame. He closes his eyes tightly, and shakes his head. "But I wish I could to more than just be here. Just being here means that that's all I'm able to do. I want to do the right things, yes, but I also want to _say_ the right things."

I think on his words for a few moments.

"Well..." I pause, then I take his arm and gently run my fingertips up and down his forearm. "Sometimes the right thing to say is nothing at all." I shake my head. "And Leo, sometimes the right thing can't be put into words. I appreciate you trying to though. But remember you don't have to feel like you need to say the right thing all the time. Because to me, it's about intentions. And I know yours are pure."

He looks at me for a few moments. He appears to be thinking, and thinking very hard. Then, he leans in close and shakes his head the slightest bit.

"I don't know how you fell for me," he mumbles. "It doesn't make any sense to me. But I feel incredibly lucky. Incredibly blessed."

I smile a small smile, and then reach out and place my hand on his cheek. I kiss him, and slowly run my hand along his cheek as I do so. He pulls me closer and wraps his arms around my waist. My heart warms up just by being close to him. When I pull away, his face drops a little, like he wishes the moment could last longer. It's so cute that I can't help but bring him back in for another kiss. He smiles as I kiss him, and I can't help but smile too. When we pull away, our faces remain close. He rubs his face against mine, and I laugh. I wrap my arms around him into an embrace, and we sit there for a few moments.

"You should rest—"

"Please don't go!" I say, pulling him closer.

He pauses. "I'm not going to leave, Lexi. You just need your rest."

I snuggle into his chest. "I'll do that. Right here."

 **A/N: UGH cheesy ending, I know, but i'm not going to apologize bc i'm a sucker for those. Thank you again for reading my story(: i know things might seem like they are all confusing and lots is happening at once but i PROMISE that it all connects eventually. It really does. It just takes time.**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	18. Pompeii

"So he was controlling Lexi's mind with his mind?" Benj summarizes, scrunching his eyebrows together.

"No," Dr. Faulkner says, shaking his head. "Maneuver Men don't have minds. They are being controlled. Like I said before, everyone in the RBMC is being controlled in one way or another."

"So Laney was controlling this specific mutant," Leo verifies. "And someone is controlling Laney." I glance over at the blue-clad turtle. Because of his concern for my safety, he's worked non-stop on trying to eliminate anything out there that could be aiming at me.

"That's what we're stuck on," Noah pipes in, fixing his gaze on me as if it were supposed to reassure me, despite the unsure words that are coming out of his mouth. "One individual person—or mutant in this case—can't simply control a single Maneuver Man...they don't have that power. As odd as it seems, they have the power to control the entire group of them, but not the power to control an individual."

"What are you trying to say then? The one out there was the only one I saw," I point out, narrowing my gaze. "I know I would have been able to see the others if there were any."

"Maybe they were hiding!" Mikey exclaims, spinning around in the chair he's sitting in. Leo shoots him a look and Mikey sighs. The chair stops spinning.

"Or they could have been in plain sight but she was so drawn into the one she saw, that it was the _only_ one she saw," Noah concludes, nodding at Donnie and Dr. Faulkner.

"Why does no one ever listen to my ideas?" Mikey whines, crossing his arms. Even after Leo shoots his younger brother another glare, the orange-clad turtle doesn't drop the question. Mikey gives Leo a defiant look—which is very rare for Mikey to give. "It seems like anything I have to say is just brushed off and no one even cares!"

It looks like Leo is about to give him another look, but I remember that date I went on with Mikey months ago. He had told me that his brothers often brushed off things that he said and treated him like a child. So for his sake, I say something before Leo can scold.

"He's right," I say, fixing my gaze on Mikey. "They could have been hiding. I mean, you don't know everything about the Maneuver Men, right?" Everyone is silent, but Mikey is looking at me with a thankful look, and slightly hopeful that I would cause them to listen.

"Well no," Dr. Faulkner says, shaking his head. "But we know that—"

"But do you know _everything_ about them?" I press. Only an idiot could miss the warning look that Mom shoots me, but I pretend that I do.

Dr. Faulkner shakes his head.

"Then who's to say that they weren't hiding? Mikey may be the youngest but he definitely isn't an idiot. So I didn't see any others; sure, that could've been because of my uncontrollable attraction to the Maneuver Man. But it also could be because the rest were hiding." There is a silence.

"I suppose you could be right," Dr. Faulkner agrees slowly, turning towards the orange-clad turtle. "I'm very sorry for underestimating your ideas, Michelangelo. There is a very large possibility that you could be correct." Even though Mikey is smiling, I know he isn't satisfied. He gives a simple nod at Dr. Faulkner.

"It's alright, Doctor," he says, turning his gaze at his brothers. After a few moments, Leo sighs.

"Sorry that we always overlook your opinions, Mikey. You deserve a voice just as much as we do," Leo apologizes and Mikey's smile grows bigger as Donnie apologizes too and Raph mutters a, "Sorry".

"Anyway," Rose presses, taking in a breath. "The main point of all of this is that there isn't just one, there's a pack. And for some reason they want Lexi."

"But why?" I stress. I feel like I have asked the question a hundred times, but each time no one pays any care to answer. "What did I do? Why do they want me?" There is a silence. Dr. Faulkner turns towards Mom.

"We may need you to come with us to help investigate. With all your training, it would be a huge help. I'm only a scientist, you know." I feel like Mikey had—angry that no one will listen to me. I feel my lip unconsciously jut out. I refuse to look at anyone.

"Of course," Mom responds, nodding her head. "I'll make sure that we give all the help we can."

* * *

"I know you're mad, but there isn't much else we can do, Lexi!" Rose says, shaking her head at me. "You know sometimes, I wish you were more like Benj. He doesn't ask so many questions."

"Well Benj isn't the one being targeted by every villain in New York, now is he?" I retort, crossing my arms.

"You just can't have the answers to all of your questions—you need to understand that we don't know everything."

"Well it seems like you know _something_ , you just don't want to tell me," I accuses, glaring at my sister. She's quiet for a moment after that, and then she sighs.

"Lexi, there are some things that we can't tell you in order to keep you safe."

I scoff.

"Some things?" I rage. " _Some things_ that you haven't been telling me are the reason I've been hurting even more."

"We can't do much and you know that!"

This time, I bite my tongue before I can say something else. I fall back onto the couch and sit there with my arms still crossed, glaring into the carpet. Rose avoids looking at me, and I do the same. For the next five minutes, the only sounds that can be heard are the overhead fan, and a distant melody of music coming from Benj's room.

Mom had sent the three of us home from the Headquarters hours before our original work hours ended. She claimed that it was "safer" if we just went home. But the turtles stayed at the Headquarters. I hadn't said anything to them when I left. Rose is right. I'm still mad that nobody has the answers I'm looking for. But the unreasonable side of me just keeps thinking that maybe if I repeatedly ask those questions, they'll eventually have the answers. But reality is that some questions are never answered.

"You really need to learn how to let people help you, Lexi," Rose says, shaking her head. She then turns on her heel and storms into her bedroom. I bite my lip and prop my head up with my hand. I continue to stare at the floor for a few minutes. I don't even try to think about what she could have meant by that.

After a while, I get up and begin heading down the hall as well. Although I'm planning on entering my bedroom at the end of the hall, I find myself stopping at Benj's. I knock two long raps, two short, two long and then two short. It was a code we made up when we were younger.

"Come in," he says before I even finish knocking.

I open up the door and find him sitting on his bed with his laptop. Now that I'm actually in his room, I can hear the music better than before. The song, 'Pompeii' by Bastille is playing from his iPod.

"What's up?" I ask, but there's a bit of double meaning behind it the question. He has a look on his face that's a mixture fear and hope.

"I don't like it when you and Rose fight," he says quietly. "It bothers me." His response surprises me.

"It bothers me too," I admit, taking a seat at the spinning chair that sits right in front of his desk. "But don't worry—it's alright now."

"Are you sure?"

I pause and stare at him for a moment. He doesn't believe me and I don't believe me. Things have never been as close with Rose and I as they have been with Benj. It's probably how different she and I are. Benj and I have a lot of the same personality traits. It could also be that I'm under stress.

"Mom's been acting different." I'm unaware at first that I have changed the subject, but once I realize, it's too late.

"I haven't noticed," he admits, looking back to his laptop.

"Of course you wouldn't," I mutter. I instantly regret it. He looks up at me for a moment. "She's been more strict with me. Maybe because I'm an adult now and I should learn to take things seriously."

"You _do_ take things seriously," Benj says, closing his laptop. He pauses for a moment, like he's going to say something. "You've been a really awesome sister to me. And you've been a good sister to Rose too."

"But I feel like I've failed you guys. I feel like I'm putting our family in danger...like I'm going to be the cause of your deaths. It scares me a lot because I keep thinking what if one of these days, we have to fight the Dark Angels and they take you and you never come back? Not only would I never be the same, but I would regret all the things I didn't teach you...all the things I failed to do as an older sister."

Benj is silent for a moment, like he's thinking.

"Remember when we were little and we'd go down to the beach?"

I nod my head.

"You'd always take me down to the water and pick me up and swing me around." I feel my mouth twitch into a smile. I do remember that.

"Mom would always sigh and tell you that you needed to be careful. Then she'd compare you to Rose, who hardly ever went down to the water because she was afraid of getting her clothes wet," he adds. My smile falters.

"But then there were other times," he continues, smiling again. "Times when you taught me how to read big words and how to identify certain sea creatures. I'll never forget the time you and I thought that that huge rock in the water was a whale that had come close to the shore."

I grin and nod at the memory.

"We almost drowned trying to swim up to it," I remember.

"And then there were times where you would manage to get Rose out into the water too. She'd cling to Mom, but you'd beg and you'd plead for her to come in. Once you'd get her out into the water, the three of us would just stand there on the sand, trying to jump all the waves."

"And you know something that you never saw, but I never missed?" He pauses. "Every single time you'd get Rose out into the water with me and you, I would glance over at Mom. And she had the biggest smile on her face. And it wasn't because Rose was getting in the water. The smile was for you, Lexi. She was proud of you...and she still is."

I've never needed anything more than those words right now.

"So Lexi," he says, shaking his head. "Don't you ever say that you've failed us as a sister. Ever again." I nod after a moment and we just sit there listening to the music. I notice that he has been playing, 'Pompeii' on repeat. I don't blame him—it's a great song.

"But if you close your eyes, does it almost feel like nothing's changed at all? And if you close your eyes, does it almost feel like you've been here before? Oh, how am I gonna be an optimist about this? Oh, how am I gonna be an optimist about this?" I sing softly along to the song.

Benj and I talk and hang out late into the night. It's been months since I'd just really talked to my brother, and it feels really nice. It's the first time in a long time that I have felt like things were normal again. Like I feel okay with not being okay.

When I finally leave his room, I exit just in time to hear Mom come through the front door. I enter the living room right as she puts her purse down onto the couch.

"Mom, I'm sorry," I say, embracing her into a hug. "I've been such a brat lately. I know that I should understand that we don't have all the answers, but it's just hard for me, you know?"

"Oh sweetheart..." she mumbles, tightening her arms around me. "I just want you to be safe." She pulls away and looks into my eyes for a moment. "Lex, I promise you that if I find anything, I will tell you. I know how you feel about this kind of thing...and I would never want to endanger you without telling you something."

"I know...you've just been so...so strict lately," I say quietly. She looks down at me with a somewhat guilty and regretful expression.

"I have?" she asks. "I'm sorry..." She pauses and tucks a piece of stray hair back behind my ear. "I'll promise to try as hard as I can to be that fun, happy Mom that you've always known, if you try as hard as you can to not ask as many questions that we can't answer." I'm about to open my mouth and say something about how that isn't fair, but I think about it for a moment. I think about what she's done for me and what she is promising to do right now...and I think about what Benj had told me.

"Of course," I promise, nodding my head.

I fall asleep with the tune of Pompeii in my head.

 _But if you close your eyes,_

 _Does it almost feel like nothing's changed at all?_

 _And if you close your eyes,_

 _Does it almost feel like you've been here before?_

 _Oh, how am I gonna be an optimist about this?_

 _Oh, how am I gonna be an optimist about this?_

 _But if you close your eyes,_

 _Does it almost feel like nothing's changed at all?_

 **A/N: Yes, Lexi has been kind of acting like a brat lately, but remember she is frustrated. I'm not defending her...but yeah, I'm defending her. I feel like a person under all that stress is allowed to act kind of like a brat. Kind of like in Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix when Harry kept getting mad at everybody because nobody would tell him anything.**

 **SPEAKING of which, I know the big question Lexi has is probably shared with a lot of the readers rn: why IS Lexi the one everyone is after? As it might seem stereotypical for the main character to be the one that everyone is trying to kill, again, i promise there is a reason for it. And I promise you will find out that reason. I think it's going to be in the 3rd book though so I guess you'll have to keep readingggg.**

 **Speaking of THAT, yes, this book is coming to an end. There will be a few more chapters and then onto book 3 we go. And let me just say, I have outlined the last chapter for this one and it's going to be WILD. Like, emotional roller-coaster GALORE (at least it was for me even just thinking about it). It might not have the same affects on you guys.**

 **As always, I love and am so grateful for whoever chose to read my story! Thanks so much!**


	19. Release

Benjamin and I sit in silence on the couch as we watch commercials. An animal protection commercial comes on, talking about how there is a lot of Animal Abuse that goes on every day and there is a number to call if you see something. The commercial is complete with the sad music and cute puppies with bruises and bandages.

"That actually makes me want to go hug my non-existent dog," I say, sniffling a little. "It's so sad that people do that to animals." When Benj doesn't answer, I glance over to see that he's stroking his pet rock named Rock-Rock.

"It's okay, Rock-Rock; I would never do that do you," he assures in a calming, whisper voice. I have to suppress a smile and before I know it, I have picked up my own pet rock, Rocky, and am stroking it as well. So there we both sit caressing our pet rocks and whispering calming words in the 90 degrees weather while sitting in the middle of the living room while a commercial about zit cream plays.

The door opens and in walks Noah. He has to stand there for a few moments, watching the scene play in front of him before he speaks.

"Well..." he begins, blowing air out of his cheeks. "This sure isn't something you see everyday."

Benj looks up at him dramatically. "Oh Noah," he says in a considerably calm voice. "This is something you should be seeing everyday. Especially in this home."

"I think this is why I don't visit you guys very often." He shakes his head. "It's not Recluse Day; why are you stroking your pet rocks while watching commercials?"

"Everyday can be Recluse Day," Benj and I both say in unison, in the exact same calming tone of voice.

"That was only a little bit creepy," Noah mutters, but then he shakes his head. "The reason I came here is because I have a job for you."

"For me? Or for us?" I ask in the same serene voice.

"Or maybe by saying 'you' you really just meant 'you'..." Benj says, using that same voice. We are both silent for a long moment.

"I request some degree of normalcy for just two minutes, please. That's all I need: two minutes," Noah pleads, and I glance over at Benj, who nods.

"Okay, what'cha need?" I ask, sitting up straighter. He sighs out of relief and hands me his iPad.

"I need you and Benj to sign this petition."

"An iPad petition...?"

"It's a petition, nonetheless. You can't imagine the increased amount of participants due to the fact that they get to hold an iPad..." he mutters, but then clears his throat. "It's a petition to let anyone ages sixteen or older, with a 4.3 GPA or higher, work alongside some of the best scientists of New York. You'd have to pass a test too, along with the GPA, but it's worth it."

"Please explain why this is so important to you."

"I'm eighteen years old, going to college this September and I still don't have a job or even a job to be considered. Sure, I work with Donnie and sometimes in the Headquarters, but that isn't a real job. I want to not only make a difference, but publicly make a difference. I'm smarter than most people take credit for, and I'd like to share what I know and what my ideas are. There are hundreds of clinics and laboratories that have doctors and have scientists, but what they need an assistant. I'm assistant material and it's a way to really make my mark on the world."

"Sounds good to me," I say, beginning to sign the petition. "How many signatures are you trying to get? And what's your method?" I hand the iPad to Benj, whose eyes look as big as saucers. He rarely gets the chance to hold an iPad.

"I need to have at least one thousand-five hundred signatures before this Friday," he explains and Benj and I both look up at him in awe.

"That means you only have two and a half more days to get the rest of the signatures!" I say to say, but Noah shakes his head.

"Relax; I've already got one-thousand-five. Well, one-thousand-seven counting you guys." He releases a "thank you" when Benj hands him back the iPad.

"How did you—"

"You seem to forget that my Dad's a scientist," he reminds, grinning so that his straight, pearly white teeth are showing. "He, along with a lot of his science buddies signed it. They think it'd be nice to have an assistant that didn't have as much knowledge as they do. People sure like to show off these days..."

"No kidding." I laugh. "So what's your method? How are you going to get the rest of the signatures?"

"Anywhere I can. I don't want people to see me more than twice, so I'll probably move myself and my petition around New York a bit so that people don't think that I'm desperate."

"But you are."

"But they don't need to know that," he says, rolling his eyes. "I'll probably call up some science buildings and maybe cool museums too. There're a lot of people that will sign petitions, even when they're indifferent to the subject. They just sign it because they can."

"Sure; hey, here's a petition to put a stop to all sandwich shops in the state of Vermont. I'll just sign it because I can."

"You're a pain."

"We can take back our signatures if you'd like."

"No, I'm good," Noah says, standing up. "Thanks; it means a lot."

"Anything to help out our little Noah," I sniffle and wipe a fake tear. "It seems like just yesterday he was making little short films starring his stuffed animals and his feet."

"The Adventures of Feet Friends," Noah remembers, grinning. "I remember that..."

"Who wouldn't?" Benj asks, raising his eyebrows. "Even I remember that. Wasn't there an episode where one of your toes got cut off?"

"That was a season spin-off, and it wasn't supposed to get published." He looks at me accusingly. "But _someone_ got a little too excited and learned how to hack onto my computer and post it anyway."

I smile innocently at him and prop my chin up with my hands.

"I learned from the best..." I sing and he smiles at me, and I see his face flush the tiniest bit.

"Right," he says. "Well, I'd better get going now. Thanks again."

"No problem. Thanks for interrupting our 'mock Recluse Day'."

"Please carry on with your insanity; I'll be off now," he says.

"You broke the mood."

"Sorry about that," he apologizes, but he's grinning and he doesn't look too sorry.

A little bit after Noah leaves, Benj, Mallory and I decide to stop somewhere and get some frozen yogurt, then head to the lair right after.

We walk into Master Splinter sitting on the couch, watching the Soap Opera, 'Kerrie Nicole'. Over at the small round breakfast table, Donnie sits trying to read a book. His eyes keep beginning to close and he every time he catches himself falling asleep, he begins to shake his head to wake himself up. Mikey is sprawled onto the couch, groaning and covering his face with his hands. Raph is sprawled on the ground, passed out (not personally my go-to location to nap, but everyone is different). Every few moments, you can hear a groan or a cough or a yawn.

"Man, it sounds like a hospital in here," I exclaim, jumping onto the couch. "How hard were you guys worked today?"

"It wasn't just today; it's everyday," Mikey says, his voice muffled into the couch. "You clearly wouldn't know since you never visit us."

"Aw," I say, rubbing Mikey's arm. "We're here right now, aren't we?"

He groans, and doesn't respond in any proper form.

"Yeah," Mallory says, setting her frozen yogurt down. "We thought we might come over and hang out. How's that sound, Donnie?" She turns, addressing Donatello. He doesn't respond in any way. "Don?" Nothing. She raises her eyebrows and places her hand on the chair, glancing over at Master Splinter. "Dang, Master Splinter! How hard do you work them?" Somehow, that wakes Donnie from his daze.

"Who did the what-ma-bob?" he mumbles frantically, and it takes him a few moments to realize that we are here. "Whoa! When did you guys get here?"

I glance over at Master Splinter as well.

"Are they always this exhausted?" I ask him.

Master Splinter chuckles. "My sons seem to prefer the training of Tatsuo far more than my own training, which deeply confuses me due to saying that I teach them the exact same material of which Tatsuo teaches," he explains, and Mikey groans.

"It's just that because Master Splinter is our father, he finds it completely necessary to slap us with his walking stick every time we cough, fart or breathe," Mikey states bitterly.

"Michelangelo!" Master Splinter exclaims, sternly.

"Sorry, Master Splinter." But he doesn't sound sorry; he sounds absolutely drained of all energy.

"Well maybe this isn't the best time for us to be over here..." Benj decides, glancing over at me and Mallory. "Maybe we should leave."

"Naw," Mallory insists, taking her cup of frozen yogurt and having another bite. She sits down next to me. "It'll be fine."

"Here, Mikey. Try some frozen yogurt; it'll help you feel better," I insist, shoving my Styrofoam cup forward.

"Does it have insane and unnecessary toppings?"

"Does pizza get delivered faster than an ambulance?" I respond and under all those pillows, I see a smile creep up Mikey's face. He moves his way out of the mess of fabrics and pillows, shoving some of them to the ground. He has dark circles under his eyes and he smells like cold sweat. He truly does look exhausted. But being the orange-clad turtle that he is, he still manages to grin and take the cup of frozen yogurt. After the first bite, he's already looking better.

"See? Insane toppings aren't ever a disadvantage," I say, directing my statement towards my brother. He snorts and rolls his eyes, finishing up his yogurt.

"Yeah," he mutters, scraping the bottom of the Styrofoam cup, trying to get the last bits of toppings and droplets of yogurt. "Unless you actually want a date with someone." I laugh and shrug my shoulders.

"That's what I've got Leo for," I reply, grinning. "He _can't_ judge me because he's a mutated turtle that lives in a sewer."

"Is that all I'm known for?" A worn-out voice asks from nearby. I glance over my shoulder to find a beat looking Leonardo coming out from the hallway. As tired as he looks, his eyes brighten when he sees me. I smile softly and get up to give him a hug.

"Did you get the sleep you needed?" I ask him, reaching up to hug him. His arms slide comfortingly around my waist and I throw my arms around his neck.

"I got what I could," he mumbles. "I'm glad you came over though."

"I'm not sure that I am, if you didn't get any rest."

"I did, I promise." I can't scold him anymore, because his hug is so comforting and I know that that's all he needs right now. I pull away and smile up at him, enclosing my hand into his. He smiles back and I hear a loud burp from behind. I laugh and look over at Mikey, who has finished my entire cup of yogurt.

My eyes widen and so do his.

"Um...were you planning on finishing that?" he asks sheepishly. I laugh and shake my head.

"You look much better, and trust me when I say that that's all I really wish for right now," I say.

He grins. "Awesome! Well, it tasted very good; compliments to the chef!" Mikey exclaims and I chuckle.

"Well, I'm glad that you're feeling better." I glance over at Don. "Now we gotta work on Donnie, Leo and Raph."

"I'm feeling better," Leo tells me and I look up at him, eyebrows raised.

"You sure?"

"Positive," he responds, leaning in to give me a kiss.

"Ugh, will you two refrain from keeping your relationship so public?" Mikey groans stuffing his face into the couch again. I scoff and cross my arms.

"I gave you my ice cream!" I remind him.

"And it tasted like magic."

"Also," Leo begins, glancing at his red-clad brother. "My advice is let Raph sleep. We don't want to awaken the beast."

And just like that, everything is okay. Mallory is laughing and balancing her yogurt cup on Raph's head while he sleeps, Mikey is animated and explaining the basics to a new video game he got, and Benj is trying to keep up with him. I watch Benj and smile. The two of them get along really well together but it isn't hard for Benjamin to get along with people. I feel like he has a little piece of everybody.

I feel that way about everyone, I think.

My "life is okay" moment is interrupted by the buzz of my phone.

 _Mom: Lexi, I need you to stay in the apartment. You and Benj both stay in the apartment. I've already gotten a co-worker to escort Rose there, so she should be there ASAP. Please listen to me and don't ask any questions. The RBMC has released freshly made mutants all programmed to kill you. This spree of mutants will continue to multiply until Friday night. We have a force field that's been installed into our apartment and it'll keep out all the mutants. They'll still be able to try and get into the apartment, but if you don't open the door, then they can't get in. Please, just make sure that you don't leave. The mutants have your scent, so they know where you are. I won't be coming home for until the three days of mutants are through. I love you, Lexi. Please don't open the door for anyone. Stay in the apartment, and you'll be safe._

A growl sounds from the corner of the room.

 **A/N: I know that this is definitely one of the worst chapters I've probably ever written. I recognize that it might seem bland and pointless (though I recognize that much of my writing seems to be that way lately). But sometimes there are days like that, and there are chapters like that. This is the second to last chapter, and I just want to say thank you for staying with me this far. Or if you've just stumbled upon it and decided to only read the 19th chapter of the 2nd book (in that case, you must be very confused) then welcome and thank you for reading this chapter.**


	20. Loss of a Best Friend

Everything is a blur and I've never seen chaos so apparent. I hear growls coming from places where nobody was in the first place. Shadows and flashes of grey dart around the lair and I can't keep my eyes on any specific one without seeing another out of the corner of my eye. They're fast. They're mutants.

I am finally able to see what these specific mutants look like. Their faces are greenish-gray and they have dark circles imprinted into their eyes. Their hands look bony, as if they'd be helpless in a fight, but when they start throwing things like the coffee table around, that observation is proven wrong. Raph tosses a stack of papers at one of them like a Frisbee, to catch it off guard. I'm horrified to see that it flinches back, and then hisses hysterically, pulling his lips back to show a large pack of long, thin, sharp teeth.

They look like something you'd see in a zombie movie; but they don't look like they ever were human. They each have large holes somewhere on their body. Some of the holes in the head, some on their arms and some on their stomachs. The holes are about the size of a golf ball and are so black that I can't be sure that they are even real holes.

"Donnie!" Leo shouts from beside me, knocking over another one of the creatures. "Help me get them out of here!" Before I know it, I am being pushed through the sewers. They are everywhere. Leo manages to fight off a large portion of them, as does Donnie. Every time I reach out to slap one away, Leo exclaims not to. He claims that any given chance to be in contact with me, the mutants will take it. So I stick to being his eyes when he isn't looking.

Once we reach the end of the sewer, I can hear screaming from above.

"Oh no..." Leo hisses. "They're all over New York City."

"Do you think they'll go away once I'm safe in the apartment?" I ask. I'm surprised at how frightened and helpless my voice sounds. I'm feeling a bit light-headed and my voice sounds like I've been crying and screaming for a long period of time—like I just can't speak anymore.

"No. They'll most likely just all show up at your apartment door, trying to get in. I don't think they'll leave until the spree is completely—" I cut Leo off by ducking my head.

"Leo, look out!" I shout, and Leo turns his head just in time to dodge a dart that one of the mutants has thrown. The dart falls to the ground of the sewer with a 'cling', and some of the liquid that is inside of it seeps out and into the water.

"Go!" Donnie shouts. "I'll hold them back for a little bit." As he knocks down some of the mutants that are trying to climb up, Leo and I hurry up the ladder with Benj. Once we reach the top, we help Donnie up too and slam the sewer lid with a 'CLANG'.

It's still light outside, but it's beginning to get dark. It's a wreck everywhere. Cars are turned over, people are running and screaming and police cars are lined up, armed with guns. But nobody looks prepared. How could they be?

"Watch out!" Benj shouts, pulling Donnie and Leo down behind a police car. "They might think you're the bad guys." After a few minutes of hiding, it finally comes to our attention that all these mutants want me, and that isn't good if I'm standing out here vulnerably.

"We gotta get you to the apartment," Don reminds, grabbing my hand. "On count of three, we're going to sprint down the street, okay? Your apartment complex is just down the corner; if you have your key ready, we'll be able to make it to the door without too many problems." I fish the apartment key out of my pocket; and at the moment, it seems like the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. My entire body is trembling, I'm afraid I'll drop the key.

"It's not even a mile away, okay?" Leo reassures. "We're just going to run. Don't look back and try not to look at any of the other mutants. Looking at them might catch you off guard." The majority of my brain doesn't exactly have any desire to see the other mutants that want to kill me, but another part of my brain does. I still nod, to keep them from worrying.

"One...two...three!" The four of us jump up and sprint down the street. I try to keep myself looking straight ahead.

 _Don't look at the mutants around you that have your death planned out, and the opportunity to do the honors at the tips of their fingers,_ I thought. _Just breathe and keep running. Don't look back, don't look to the side, just focus on the place that'll keep you safe: the apartment._

After lots of dodging and gasping for air, I finally reach the apartment complex. I look back to find that Leo, Don and Benj aren't all that far behind. I swallow and force myself to rip my eyes away. _Just keep your eyes on the apartment,_ I remind myself. _That's the goal here._

I flinch back when I see a Maneuver Man seemingly nailed to the top step. I bite my lip and rush up the stairs, making sure to keep my eyes on him. As long as I don't take my eyes off of it and as long as I don't look into the eyes, I'll be okay. Right?

"Lexi!" Benj's voice calls, and I whip my head around. He holds out his hand, as if to say to keep going. "Keep going—I'll watch him so that you can run." I nod as if to say thank you, and sprint down the hallway. I freeze when I get to the end.

Standing in front of our front door, is Laney. She has a small smile on her face, and her eyes are those two colors.

"Hello again."

I don't respond. I stand there in absolute fear. She's right in front of me; Laney. The girl who has haunted my dreams for the past month. She's right in front of me, and she—along with hundreds of other mutants—want to kill me.

I feel like time is frozen. Somehow, my brain manages to tune out all the screaming and all the running from around me. The only thing I see right now is Laney. Her two different colored eyes are fixed on me, and her expression unreadable.

"Lexi!" A voice shouts, but I can't take my eyes away. I don't know who is calling me, and the more I look at Laney, the less I care. I know that I am in danger right now; but for some reason, it doesn't really matter to me. Selfish, but a selfishness that I can't rip myself out of.

"Lexi, look away now. She's trying to hypnotize you into thinking that you aren't in any danger. Lexi, please; we need to get into the apartment." The voice is right next to me, but I still can't take my eyes off of the girl. I know that she's trying to trick me, but I can't take my eyes away.

"They're coming for you," Laney sings, and my heart quickens. I know that they are coming, and right now at this very moment, I feel like I really can't do anything about it. What is wrong with me? I don't know, and I don't care.

"Stop it! Move out of the way!" Benj shouts, moving forward and shoving her towards the end of the hallway. That snaps me out of it. Before I know it, Laney has snapped out of my view and has my brother in a hold on the ground, where he is half-way hanging off the building.

"No, stop it!" I cry out to Laney, but I know my words mean nothing to her. She thrives from pain. I know that now.

Donnie tries knocking Laney over with his bo staff, to save us time; but her reflexes kick in quicker than any of us expect. She reaches out and tosses his staff right over the ledge.

"They're coming for you," she repeats, this time with grit teeth. "They'll always be coming for you. They'll hurt every possible person they can to get to you. And they won't stop—even after you're dead. You think your death is their goal? Oh no, they have much more planned, Lexi" I glare at her, but inside and out, I am shaking with absolute terror.

I dash for the door, jabbing the key into the lock and twisting it. I know that there is only a matter of time before I will be inside, safe and sound.

I hear a scream.

The embodiment of terror. The kind of scream that chills your bones and shakes you to your core. The kind of sound that is worse than nails on a chalkboard and more heart-breaking than anything you could possibly imagine.

Pinning my brother down with a cold pale hand is a Maneuver man. Benj is reaching forward with one hand towards me and wears an expression of sorrow and pain and terror and everything I've always hated seeing on his face. Everything I always wanted to protect him from.

Something that even my worst nightmares could never conjure up.

"Benj!" I shout, trying to come forward. He notices Laney trying to sneak her way into the apartment far before I do, and trip her. She goes crashing to the floor and lies there for a moment. She is unconscious.

"Leo, help me with Benj," I plead, and Leo gets down to help. The grip that the Maneuver Man has on Benj is as strong and firm. He isn't going to let go any time soon.

"Lexi..." Benj coughs, looking up at me with tears in his eyes. The fact that he is looking me straight in the eyes makes this situation a thousand times worse. Because I know what has to happen. "Lexi, he's got a grip on me. As long as any living thing is looking, he won't let go."

"We'll all look away then!" I say, my voice high pitched and hysterical. "We'll look away and then you can get away and we can get into the apartment; safe and sound."

Benj stares at me and doesn't say anything for a minute. He knows just as well as I do that that won't happen.

"Lexi." His voice sounds scared. More than scared; terrified and horrific. He knows what his fate is; and I don't want to believe it. "Lexi, as soon as anyone looks away, he'll kill me." As soon as the words leave his mouth, I can't help but let a sob travel up my throat.

"No..." I sob. "No, no, I can get him to let go." I look up at the Maneuver Man, shaking my head violently. "Please let him go. Please. This is my brother. My little brother. Please, please, please, let him go. He's my family and I don't want him to die."

I'm crying now.

"Lexi..." Leo says softly. "He isn't—"

"Yes, he will!" I shout, glaring at Leo. "He has to let go. He has to." I let out another sob. "He has to..."

"He won't," Donnie says slowly. "I'm so sorry, Lexi. We need to leave him."

"No!" I shout again. "We're not leaving him! Don't you two see that this is my brother? My little brother! We can't leave him here to die because of something that's my fault. We can't."

"It's not your fault, Lexi..." Benj mumbles. "Please. Go and be safe."

"I promised Mom that I could keep you safe," I cry. "I promised her, Benjamin! I can't...I can't just leave you here!"

"You have to."

"No I don't!" I'm trembling. "I can't and I won't and I don't have to." Most of my words sound like blubbers because of my crying, but I can't stop. My heart feels like it's being electrocuted over and over again and my head is spinning.

"You have to make the decision to save your life," he says quietly. "You have to think about yourself this time."

"You're my brother!" I cry. "My best friend! You can't leave. You can't, Benjamin. Please don't leave me here."

"I'm not leaving you; I'll always be with you. I promise," he says, and the tears continue to stream down my face and all over the ground.

"I hate promises!" I scream at the top of my lungs. Everything around me seems to freeze. "Benjamin, you need to let me save you. Please!"

"Lexi, the other mutants are coming," Don warns, and I can hear the growls and footsteps of other creatures approaching.

"No!" I shout, standing up and shoving the Maneuver Man. "Is this all you can do? Destroy people? Get out of here! Leave my brother alone! Take me if you have to, but leave him! Please!" His sunglasses just sit there as if nothing were sitting behind it, but his eyes seem to bore into mine.

"Benjamin, we're gonna get you out of here," I promise, but Leo is already taking my arm.

"Lexi, they're getting closer..." he pleads. "We need to go."

"Leo, stop it! I can't leave him!"

"You have to."

"No, I don't!" I sob, gripping onto my brother's arm. "I don't have to leave him. I can stay here and die with him! I'll die rather than live without my brother!"

"You aren't thinking straight," Leo warns, pulling on my arm even more. "Please, Lexi. We need to go. We need to keep you safe."

"Nothing will keep me safe if Benj is gone—nothing!" I scream, and I feel myself being pulled back by both of the turtles. "Let me go!" I watch my brother and he looks at me with wide, watery eyes that silently say, 'Go'.

"Please, Benj..." I whisper. "Please don't leave me here."

"I'm not. I'll still be here."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I sniffle. "Please, Benjamin."

"They're coming for you. They won't stop until you die."

"Why is it worth losing you then?" Silence. "Answer me, please! How am I supposed to live without you? Tell me, Benj." I can barely see with all the tears that crowd my eyes, but I manage to see the faint, sad smile on his face. I taste the salt tears that attack my mouth and nose and cheeks.

"You were the best big sister," he says to me, shaking his head. Tears stream down his face so quickly. "Please take care of Rose and Mom and make sure that they know you love them. You taught me everything you could and now I need to teach you something. It'll all be okay. You're strong. Isn't that all you've ever been? Strong? Your name." He laughs a quiet, sad laugh. "You are strong and you always have been." I stare at him, barely even being able to see. "I love you, Lexi. You are my best friend."

Before I can stop it from happening, I'm yanked backward and shoved into the apartment.

"Benjamin!" I shout, reaching out; only to have the door slammed in my face.

He's gone.

He's gone.

My brother is gone.

"Lexi..." Rose's voice barely sounds like anything to me.

Benjamin is gone. And it's my fault.

I collapse onto the ground into a crumbled heap and begin bawling harder than I ever have before. My head feels dizzy, but I don't care. Tears continue to stream out my eyes and I don't bother wiping them. I can't lift my arms. I'm paralyzed.

My entire face feels hot and I can't see at all. I cry and cry and cry on the floor for the longest time I can. Leo doesn't reach out to comfort me—and I'm glad that he doesn't. I don't want him to comfort me because he can't. I don't want anyone to try. I don't want the letters to come in saying, 'I'm so sorry for your loss...Benjamin was a great young man' or his friends from football asking where he had gone to. I don't want to remember the long conversations I had with him about everything and I don't ever want to watch Animal Planet again.

I don't want to remember my brother because he's gone.

He's gone.

No, he isn't gone.

He can't be gone.

He promised.

 _I_ promised.

He's not gone.

That makes me cry even harder.

I cry for hours. Hours of hysterical bawling and screaming and kicking everything I can. I manage to push the couch over and rip out nearly half my hair and get my shirt and shorts sopping wet from my tears. I throw the vase of flowers that's on the coffee table and the glass goes shattering all over the floor. I can hear the faint sobs of Rose too.

I almost forget that Benj had another sister. Another person who loves him just as much as I do.

A person that Benj made me promise to take care of.

I reach up, grabbing Rosalie's hand. I pull her down and she doesn't object. She buries her head into my shoulder and cry and I cry into her hair. Her long, silky brown hair that I always thought was perfect. We are not perfect. Especially not right now.

We sit there hugging and crying for what is hours. It doesn't just seem like hours, it seems like days. I've lost track of time. The two of us are wheezing and crying and coughing and screaming and mumbling things to ourselves. We're a wreck.

And nobody tries to break it apart.

I didn't ever love Rose as much as I loved Benj. I'm sad and horrified to admit that. She's my little sister and I should love her just as much.

I can't think straight. All I can remember are his last few words: "You were my best friend."

He was my best friend too.

And now he's gone.

The crying doesn't stop even after the three days.

 **A/N: OH MY GOSH YOU DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH CRYING WENT INTO THIS CHAPTER. DUDE I CAN'T EVEN EXPLAIN. I STARTED SOBBING HALFWAY INTO THE CHAPTER.**

 **I have to admit, I had been planning on killing off Benj for a while. I didn't know that it would be this soon, though. But I guess that's how it is to be a writer: you see an opportunity and you take it...because this was the perfect time to kill him off.**

 **And there was a reason that I killed Benj this way. I didn't want it to be something like getting hit by a car or falling off a building or something like that. Benj and Lexi were closer than you could ever imagine. I didn't want Benj's death to be random; I wanted it to not only be heroic, but make it heartbreaking and sudden.**

 **Benj's death was a traumatic thing to happen. He was an innocent kid—the younger brother. But trust me, there is so much more loss and betrayal to come; I'm sorry to say. But Lexi is a strong character; she's supposed to display the fact that not everyone is perfect. I feel like too many times in fanfictions, they make the OC too mary-sueish.**

 **And trust me, Lexi is about to get ugly. A loss that big affects people in specific ways (obviously differently dependent on the person) and you might hate her for a little bit but just remember she is going through a lot of crap. She is not herself because a loss like that literally rips away a PART of yourself.**

 **Lexi isn't perfect. She had to grow up way too fast, and Benjamin was a huge part of her life because so did he. They were closer than you could ever imagine, so naturally, she's more than devastated. She's broken. And she doesn't know what to do.**

 **It's all really depressing in so many ways. This story started out as one based off of romance with Leo and Lexi. But there is so much more to it. Pain and loss and family and friends and hurt and action all contributes to a good story. And that's what I'm trying to create.**

 **In some ways, I still can't even believe what's happened. And neither can Lexi. You'll see that in many ways in the next chapter.**

 **I hope you cried. And yes, I'm absolutely dead serious. I hoped that the tears and heartache that was put into this chapter actually affected or moved someone—whoever is reading this. Honestly; you know what they say: "No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader." And yes, now I am a witness that that quote really is true if you're a REAL writer. I guess I am.**

 **So that's that. Thanks for reading my story. Trust me, this isn't the end. I know that the whole 'death of her closest family member' was hard and all. But I'm not the kind of writer who is going to kill off one of the most important characters and then just end it. It has now become my job to fix what I've broken.**

 **I love you all & appreciate you being here with me~**


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